Midnight Crow
by Chiaki Syrupami
Summary: A Corpse Party Alternate Universe. In it, there are 30 characters of varying ages and genders. The characters know of the Corpse Party franchise but in this, it is just that. They try out the charm for laughs and find out regrettably that it is indeed real. Features Heavenly Host, and locations from the game/s.
1. Chapter 1

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 1**

_Clare_

"..is everyone sure?"

"...well..ha..why not, right?" Aki stammered out.

"Are you scareddd Clareeee?" Sarah teased with a face. Quick to defend myself I retorted with "I'm not! I just.. am looking out for everyone. It was about 6:40, we were sitting in a low-key hotel room. Finally, after years of saving up and picking dates, changing times and locations, we had all finally met up. I sat between Sarah, a crazy girl who I trusted so much after such a short time. To my other side was Aki, another of my best friends. My phone kept buzzing, probably Grayson like usual. Also in the room with me was Kay, Dahlia,Cecil, Allys, Joselyn, and a few of the girls who I haven't known as long, but still care for deeply, Ashley, Shelby, and Oak. The other Americans were in the room next door. As I sat in the dim candle light of the room staring at the crisp white doll in front of me, I trembled against my will. It was just a story..just a game. Not real in the slightest. _So why am I so scared?_ Sarah squeezed my hand and smiled weakly. I knew that she was trying to make me feel better, but I felt her pulse quickening too. Pinching the head of the doll, everyone took sides of it and griped firmly. _No turning back now._

"Sachiko, we beg of you"

"Sachiko we beg of you!"

"S-sachiko, we beg of you." Down the line we went, all saying it once. On my turn, I stammered and never have I felt so embarrassed. _I probably look like a wuss.. but at least I'm not the only one.._

"Pull!" At her command people started pulling. Something felt wrong...had we messed up? Missed someone? But before I could speak up, a loud tear filled the room. The deed was done. Pocketing our scraps, we climbed to our feet and turned on the lights, laughing and and conversing. That's when it really began. The floor went from still to trembling, to shaking, to a large earthquake. I tried to head toward Aki or Sarah, or anyone I could reach, and found one arm around Kay, with a hand on Dahlia's shoulder. Everyone was touching someone, as the vibrations increased violently. Then, a sensation of weightlessness drifted over me. I only had a minute to look down to nothing but darkness when I passed out.

* * *

Burning. That's the best way to describe the sensation rippling through my left ankle. I struggled to view it in the dark but when I did, I wished I hadn't. Twisted to almost twisted completely backwards. I looked away sharply as my eyes fell upon a smaller frame in the darkness. "..Sarah?" I crawled closer, squinting hard/ "Kay!" the name escaped my mouth as my arms wrapped around her body. Small taps at my arms caused me to draw back.

"..Clare, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but NEVER DO THAT AGAIN."

"I-I.."

"Your boobs.. were crushing me." she let out a small laugh and returned my earlier hug. I sniffled and squeezed my eyes shut. A gasp sounded and we both turned toward the source. A writhing Dahlia lay by a tipped desk, whimpering and shuddering. "Dahlia!" we shouted in unison as we headed to her. I fell to the ground, hard, as I tried to stand up.

"Oouhh," I mumbled, causing Kay to turn toward me. "Go help Dahlia, I'm fine" I managed and thoughts crept into my head. _Where are we? _Eyes sweeping the area suggested a school. _Wait..a school..sprained ankle..Sachiko charm.. _My eyes widened in fear. It wasn't just a game. Instantly Naomi Nakashima came to mind. _What would Naomi do? _Climbing to my feet, I limped over to Dahlia and Kay.

"H-hhaaah. I'm good," Dahlia managed through clenched teeth. "Just a small headache.. and probably a few bruised ribs.." I smiled in relief. She was okay. _But for how long? A place like this.. if its what I think it is.._

"Who's that!?" Kay pointed with raised eyebrows. We all turned to see a small shape on the ground. Another person, skinny too.

"Sar-"

"..Ashley." The body said softly. "Is that..?"

"Clare. And Kay and Dahlia," I stated as Kay helped Dahlia to her feet. "Are you injured?"

"Thankfully no," she answered, climbing to her feet as well, "But you seem to be." She gestured at my ankle.

"A-ahh.. yeah.."

"Then our first priority is to go to the infirmary" Kay suggested.

"No!" Me and Dahlia chorused. "Remember Tohko?" she asked.

"And Naomi?" I shuddered.

"That was just a game."

"No," Ashley butted in. "It is very much real. Look at where we are. Exactly like in the game."

"You're not suggesting.." Kay whispered.

"I am. We are in Tenjin Elementary. Heavenly Host. Hell. Whatever you wanna call it, we're here." Exchanging glances, shivers ran up our spines. She had a point. And I was scared witless. I wanted somebody to hold me, calm me down. I didn't want to end up alone. _I can't..._

"Clare. We need to bandage you and Dahlia, it's inevitable. We'll be quick, now lets go." I leaned on Ashley's shoulder as us four embarked down the hall, pondering the fate of the others who did the charm.

* * *

We refused. Me and Dahlia absolutely refused. Kay and Ashley ran in, and in less than around 5 minutes, they returned.

"Come here Clare," Kay ordered. She put my ankle in her lap. "Now do me a favor and bite down on this." I raised my eyebrow as she placed a pencil in my hands but I put it in my mouth anyway and bit down. In an instant, her hands gripped and twisted my ankle. Fighting screams, my jaw crushed the pencil. But to my surprise, the pain subdued to less than before. She wiped away some blood and ace bandaged it in place. "Better..?"

"Better," I sighed in relief. My eyes drifted to Dahlia, whom Ashley had bandaged as well. Her shirt looked lumpy where the bandages were around her ribcage. As we all climbed to our feet I smiled for the first time since getting here. The smile vanished when I thought of Sarah, Flynn, Rozerin and everyone else. Just as I felt tears building up, I heard creaking. We all turned in unison as our eyes fell upon a large frame.

"N-no..it can't be.." Kay whispered.

"Yoshikazu," I gasped. Before I could even formulate another sentence, Kay grabbed my arm and started pulling me away. I looked at her confused when it hit me. Dahlia and Ashley had already started running and I saw them head downstairs. Kay shook me again, yelling frantically.

"Clare! Come on, run!" So I did. I began sprinting down the hall, only a few paces behind Kay, when she went left down a hall away from where Ashley and Dahlia had gone.

"Kay!" I shouted, trying to stop her. It was no use. She kept going. _What should I do?_

**-Follow Kay**

** -Follow Dahlia and Ashley**

** -Keep yelling at Kay to stop**


	2. Chapter 1, End 1

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 1, END 1**

_Clare_

**-Keep yelling at Kay to stop**

"Kay! Kay you're going the wrong way! Come back here!" My lungs ached from yelling and my ankle throbbed. "Kay!" I yelled again. As I went to scream again in frustration, I felt a presence behind me. My breath quickened as I turned slowly. He was here. II tried to yell for help but no sound came out. So I tried to run instead. Like a floozy in some old horror movie, I tripped. I tried desperately tried to crawl away, but my ankle wasn't doing me any favors. The smelly beast that was Yoshikazu advanced until he was practically standing over me. _This is it. Game over. Except it isn't a game. I'm gonna die and nobody will remember me. _Just when I had prepared to die, the sound of feet pounding the hall sounded. My eyes flew open to see Kay charging full speed at Yoshikazu. "Kay!" I managed as tears lept to my eyes. As she ran past me however, Yoshikazu followed. "Wait! Kay no!"

"Run Clare! Run dammit!" I gasped as I realized what she was doing.

"N-no! Come with me! I can't be alone! Please," I begged. But it was already to late. She had dodged too late. The hammer belonging to the giant behemoth swung at her small body and flung her against the wall. "KAY!" I screamed.

"Uhhhughh," she moaned softly.

"Get up Kay! Get up and run!" She barely even stirred. He brought the hammer down on her torso as she coughed up blood and spit. "NO!" I screamed with tears escaping my eyes freely. He kept smashing until all that was left was Kay's shocked face and a smashed carcass of a body. At this point I had lost it. "Kay..K-Kay.. uhh..wahh..ah," I kept sniffling as I sank to my knees.

"Urghh! Awargh!" With another gasp I looked up to see him coming closer. His blood stained hammer already raised. With one more breath, the hammer was swung at me. Half of my ribs felt as though they'd been bent inwards. He kept swinging. After a few times I felt my lungs getting punctured. I struggled for air and I prayed I would just die. Again and again. I whimpered. _Kay was experiencing this before she died. I'm why she died. I deserve it. _As it hit my stomach, I definitely felt one organ or another get ruptured. _Flynn...be safe...Sarah...stay sane...Ro.._ My thoughts were interrupted by yet another swing of the hammer. I felt wetness touching me as I realized I was bleeding out profusely. I felt myself drifting away.

* * *

They say when you die, you don't feel anything anymore. What bull shit. My lungs burned like a forest fire while my stomach ached beyond compare. As I stood over my own corpse I felt nothing but hatred. _You dumb ass...why didn't you run.. useless garbage.. you deserved it._

_W_ r On G e _N _d


	3. Chapter 1, End 2

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 1, END 2**

_Clare_

**-Follow Dahlia and Ashley**

Following Kay was dangerous. Safety in numbers was a much better option. I sped up and ran down the stairs. There was numerous corpses scattered all over the stairs. As I reached the bottom I realized I didn't know where Dahlia and Ashley had gone after descending the staircase. As I shifted back and forth, I decided to choose the right hall. I kept turning and ended up losing my way. I found myself in a familiar room. Shoes and slippers everywhere, shelves to almost the ceiling, a front entrance that I knew would never open... _This must be the entrance way..the shoe room. _Something at the back of my mind throbbed and bugged me. _What am I forgetting? _Before I even had the chance to think, a blue shadow shimmered in the corner. My mind screamed at me to run. But when I turned away, he was right in front of me. _Ryou. _I attempted to look away, to run, even scream. But nothing. And suddenly, a darkness swept over me.

* * *

I don't understand. I felt my eyelids open but I can't see a thing. It was dark and cramped. As I attempted to shift around, I found the space I had limited. "Kay! Dahlia! Ashley!" I yelled hoping they were near. When nobody answered, I kept yelling. "Emma? Aki?"

"This way Laura! I think I saw somebody walk this way," a familiar voice stated, though very far off sounding.

"Uhhuh... You sure it wasn't a ghost Katie?" the second voice asked. _Laura. And the first must be Katie!_

"Katie! Laura! Help me!" I tried. But their voices just got further away. A sudden clump of powder fell on my head. As I tried to see who did it more began falling. "Hey! Stop it! I'm down here!" I protested. It didn't stop. More and more rained down on me. My arguments and shouts were ignored as it filled my mouth, got into my eyes. I couldn't breathe properly. That's when the nostalgia hit me. _This has happened before..but when..and to wh.._ My eyes widened as it dawned on me. In a wrong end, this had happened in the first Corpse Party game. _That was real too?! _was my last thought as the dirt built up on me. My breaths became less and less until they ceased altogether, and along with them, my life.

* * *

My lungs ached. I felt the grit of the dirt in between my teeth as I tried to cough out what would never go away. Death really was a cruel mistress. _If only I had followed Kay.. then maybe..._ I look sadly at the now filled hole where my body was enveloped. _Oh Flynn...I'm sorry.. Please don't die.. anyone.. just...everyone stay alive...for me.._I drifted off, looking for Katie and Laura. _All I can do now is watch..._

_W_ r On G e _N _d


	4. Chapter 1, End 3

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 1, END 3**

_Clare_

**-Follow Kay**

"Dammit Kay!" I shouted as I sprinted after her. She didn't slow at all. By the time we have turned 4 hallways she stopped and turned around to make sure I was with her. _I wonder what she'd have done if I wasn't.. guess we'll never know. _It wasn't until we finally stopped running that I realized I had tears in my eyes.

"Clare?" she asked walking over with her hand extended. I continued sniffling as she wiped away my tears. "H-hey now..if you keep crying..I'll start crying," she mumbled, beginning to sniffle as well. She flung her arms around me and sobbed as it dawned on us we weren't safe. Whether Yoshikazu was near or not, this school was full of dangers.

"Can you breathe?" I asked jokingly, remembering her earlier remark. I thought if she at least laughed, everything would be a little better.

"Shut up," she sniffed with a half smile. We stood, hugging in silence, refusing to simply let go for a short while when Kay finally piped up again. "We lost them Clare,"

"Who?" I asked, already forgotten everything from the Yoshikazu incident.

"Dahlia and Ashley..W-what if.."

"They're fine, I'm sure of it. Dahlia and Ashley are smart and strong. They'll be okay," I answered rubbing her back softly.

"B-but.. what do we do?" she managed through shakey breaths.

"Well...What would Naomi and Ayumi do?"

"Cry for Satoshi?" she joked.

"Well I'm not sure where Jake or Denis are," I teased, "But I know that we're both gonna survive this."

"Promise?" she questioned while extending her pinky.

"I promise," I calmly answered while hooking my pinky around hers. We ended the hug and started walking down another hall. I stopped abruptly suddenly as I felt around for my scrap. "Kay..pull out your scrap really quick,"

"Huh?"

"Just really quick." She removed hers and I sighed as my hands found mine. I showed it quickly, then put it right back. "Sorry, I was just trying to be sure..We can't lose those."

"True. Better to be safe," she replied as she slid hers away too. "..Hey Clare?"

"What?"

"Why are you keeping your scrap _there_?" she teased. My face flushed red as I playfully hit her and started walking faster. "H-hey! Slow down I was kidding! Clare!" she pleaded as she attempted to catch up. A sudden yell halted us both. Just as I was about to speak a voice cut me off.

"Laura! Be careful! The floor isn't stable here," it said. Kay realized it just like I did. We stayed silent to see if they'd say anything else.

"Sorry sorry! But I thought I saw something over there..Guess not," the other replied nonchalantly. Kay couldn't contain her excitement.

"I know that voice! It's definetly her! Laura!" she yelled happily. The other voices stopped.

"..Kay?!" Laura questioned.

"Laura!" I yelled as well, tears in my eyes yet again.

"Clare?" a familiar voice asked. "Where are you guys?" _It sounds almost like.._

"Katie?" I screamed, overjoyed. "We're by.." Quickly surveying my surrounding I saw a classroom sign reading: Classroom 3-A. "3-A!"

"Coming right now!" she replied. I started crying yet again as the sound of two sets of feet pounding down the hall reached my ears. I grabbed Kay's hand and we began running too. We all collided together, but in a way that brought only happiness. Tears were everywhere but so were smiles.

"You guys are alive..You're actually.." Laura started crying again before she could finish.

"Have you found anyone else?" Kay asked tentivly.

"Just you guys. We thoguht we heard voices earlier but we didn't find anyone," Katie responded dejectedly.

"We lost Dahlia and Ashley. They went downstairs, but they could be anywhere," I reported. My phone hadn't buzzed in a while, but when I checked it I saw I didn't have bars anyway. _I hope Grayson doesn't worry too much.. _

"What's the plan of action?" Laura sniffed.

"Well..lets go downstairs and look around for Ashley and Dahlia. Maybe we'll run into the others!" Katie chirped. And so we began walking. My hands were shaking yet again but I didn't know why. I glanced forward to see Laura and Katie were holding each other's hands as they walked. _Maybe I.._ a warm hand slid into my grasp and I turned to see Kay smiling in a comforting way. She nodded and I nodded back. I somehow felt that everything would be okay.

_True End_

CHAPTER 1 CLEARED!


	5. Chapter 2

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 2**

_Flynn_

"Still none. I doubt we'll find any."

"Well, lets keep walking." As Rozerin and Denis chittered on endlessly I continued clicking the "_try again" _button on my phone. The message still wouldn't send. But I couldn't give up. _Clare is here..I have to protect her. _Our feet all drummed at the same beat, we'd been walking for hours it seemed. We had searched about the entire first floor. I wanted to be like Yui...protect everyone and be seen as a hero, but as the time dragged on I felt a worse side coming out.

"Where did they first find it again?" Rozerin asked, stopping suddenly.

"Uhh..definetly downstairs," Denis answered, stopping as well. I felt myself ticking. _I don't think I can hold back much longer.. _

"Lets check down this hall. It may be by room 1-F."

"Good idea!"

"I think that was it's location from the game actu-"

"God dammit! Shut up already! Why are we wasting time on this? Clare could be in danger!" I finally protested.

"Flynn.."

"Don't Flynn me! We're looking for something from a GAME! We should be trying to find everyone!"

"Hey!" Rozerin snapped. "I care about finding everyone too! But that won't matter if we can't get out, now will it?" Sighing, I looked away in shame. "Flynn I want Clare to be safe too," she soothed, rubbing my shoulder softly.

"So do I," Denis said with a smile. "So lets go find that dumb doll! Team get-shit-done, roll out!" With a few laughs, we all walked down the hall toward whatever horrors faced us next.

* * *

"Here it is!"

"Really?" I exclaimed excitedly. "Does that mean..?"

"Not yet. We should try to appease some of the ghost kids first right?"

"No!" They both turned towards me. "I-I..We have to find the others!"

"You just care about finding Clare," Denis argued.

"Sh-shut up! I care about everyone!"

"As if. Flynn, you don't have to lie. We all kno-"

"SHUT UP!" I screamed with a shove. He stumbled back and fell over a loose board.

"Hey! Stop acting like children! Don't you know where we are?" Rozerin hissed at us both. We obeyed and quietly apolgized to each other, and her. "I know tensions are high but if we fight it'll only get worse. Let's go set up a sign of some sort to show that we were here," she suggested calmly. So we obeyed and continued walking. All was fine, until we heard the scream.

* * *

My feet ached from running so fast. When we had rounded our fourth or fifth corner (I honestly lost track) the sight before us was beautiful and alarming at the same time. In my sight I saw a shaking Joselyn and Oak who was bent over into a hole in the floor boards.

"Uh..?" Denis said with a scratch of his head. Joselyn head snapped over to look at us.

"Rozer..Fl..Den?" she managed through hiccups. Rozerin walked over and put her arm around Joselyn.

"What happened? Did you drop something in that hole?" she calmly asked.

"You could say that!" A voice echoed up through the hole. Immedietly we all peered in along with Oak. I couldn't even believe what I saw.

"Sarah!?" Denis yelled. Sure enough, the small frame of Sarah's body stood shivering down a floor. "What happened?!"

"W-we were walking and the floor just..and we couldn't reach her..a-and," Joselyn stuttered, clearly still fretting the situation. As Rozerin continued comforting her, I turned back to the situation at hand.

"Are you okay?" Oak asked, voice dripping with concern and worry.

"I think..maybe I sprained my ankle..or broke it.."

"What does it feel like?"

"Uh.. bloody?" Sarah called up uneasily. We all exchanged worried glances.

"Can we lift her?" Denis asked worridly.

"No. Too far. But may-"

"Ahhh! Fuck!"

"Sarah!" we all yelled in unison. I felt tears pricking my eyes too. _Sarah was always nice.. even when I wasn't.. _I felt myself sniffling.

"Guys! I have to ru- ahh!" her screams were filled with pain and fear. I felt myself filling with anger. She didn't deserve this.

"Sarah!" I yelled out. "Run! Run as fast as you can! Just run and run fast! Don't stop and don't look back!" I heard her getting further and further away, and a smile came onto my face as a single tear escaped. Something in my mind told me she'd be safe.

* * *

When I awoke I began cracking my neck, hoping everyone else was still peacefully asleep.

"Sleep well?" I jumped and turned abruptly.

"Denis! Don't scare me like that!" I hissed.

"Sorry.. where are you going?"

"Nowhere that concerns _you_," I mumbled as I continued walking away from the group. A hand coiled around my arm, stopping me. As I turned I saw Rozerin standing there staring at me with concern. I pushed her hand off and kept walking. I didn't hear any footsteps behind me, but I sped up anyway. _Better to widen the gap. _It wasn't until about an hour later that the tremoring began. I looked around hastily, considering my options. The school shook faster and faster, making my concern grow exponentially.

_What should I do what should I do what should I do..?_

**-Stand still and hope for the best**

**-Crouch down and cover your head**

**-Run to find a safe place**


	6. Chapter 2, End 1

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 2, END 1**

_Flynn_

**-Stand still and hope for the best**

I stopped suddenly and attempted to stand through it all. The floor trembled faster under my feet, just like in the hotel room. I could barely hold myself up through all of the vibrations. As I squinted down the hall, two bodies came into view. _Denis and Rozerin. _I tried to move, to run away from them, to even twitch my leg. But the floor was too much for me. All in an instant I felt the ground caving in beneath me and up above the ceiling cracked more and more. Right when I thought I could move, there was nothing under me. Free falling through darkness, I landed atop a hard and dirty floor. Something was off. I looked over to my left to see a small and tan crushed hand. Looking around me, I realized I had fallen right on top of someone. Someone with reddish brown hair and brown eyes widened in fear. The realization hit me. _Sarah..! _When I knew things couldn't get worse, a feminine scream of "No!" rang out above me. A rectangular shape hurtled toward me and before I could even react, I was hit.

* * *

I floated above my decapitated head with disgust filling me. _Fuck up like me..not only got myself killed but killed somebody else..someone who'd never deserve it.. _If ghosts could cry, i'd imagine I would be. I glanced over at the much taller shimmering form next to me with hurt in my heart. She simply glanced back with pity. Already, her edges were reddening. _Now who will protect Clare...I didn't deserve her anyway.. _I looked back to Sarah but she was gone. Even in death I was alone.

_W_ r On G e _N _d


	7. Chapter 2, End 2

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 2, END 2**

_Flynn_

**-Crouch down and cover your head**

The floor shook so hard under my feet that they wouldn't move. I dropped to a crouch, hoping that was better than nothing. I knew Denis and Rozerin were still coming after me, and deep down I wished they would never find me. _I don't deserve to be around people..I'm horrible.. _As I shifted around, I heard creaking under me. Likewise, the ceiling above was rapidly breaking. Just as Denis and Rozerin came into my peripheral, I felt the odd sensation of free fall. As my back hit the ground, the ceiling caved through the hole, and onto my small body. Every part of me stung. I definitely felt blood leaving my body in several places, along with multiple bruises and fractures. I couldn't even move my fingers. Groaning in agony, I heard footsteps walk right past the hole in the floorboards above me.

"Flynn!" Rozerin screamed fearfully. Upon trying to yell back I realized it hurt too much to breathe, much less yell.

"Flynn! Stop hiding, lets stay together and find Clare as a team!" Denis shouted. At the mention of Clare my stomach turned and heart ached. _I have to find Clare..but.. _Just when I had mustered the strength to yell, three bluish-green forms danced into my sight. One with an empty socket where an eye belonged, another only a lower half of a head that constantly gurgled. The third had his stomach completely gouged out, organs simply hanging like wet pasta. All three of these ghostly children had blood drizzling down their chins and murderous intent in their beady eyes. My pulse quickened as I tried even harder to scream, to move, to be free from this rubble that was surely to be my grave. Then the one eyed girl swooped down, tearing at my face. It was only then that I found my screams.

"Ahhh! He-ahh..AHHHH! WAHHH! AGHHH!" My screams filled the hallway I was in, they went through the hole, echoing around the school. The headless girl came next, pulling my hair at the same time that the first tore at my face. The boy was last, joining the first girl in shredding my face. They continued circling me, tearing at any skin they saw or could reach. I felt my throat dry out as time went on. Wet blood everywhere, I finally felt myself slipping away. But before the headless child peeled away my throat flesh. With one last breath, everything went away. Everything but the pain.

* * *

My form hovered above my completely shredded corpse. I felt pity and self loathing. The ghost children had already left, glee on their faces and a new light in their eyes. _Little shits.. _But I couldn't blame them. After all they'd been through, anyone would be crazy an malicious after that. Suddenly, an average height yet skinny girl began running down the hall toward my body. _Red braid,tan skin..Definitely familiar.. _I flew down next to her now shaking form to see her face already soaked in tears. She began digging my carcass up, attempting to hold me. I looked closer at her face. _..Sarah.. _It was definitely her. As she struggled to find a proper way to hold the pulp that used to be me, I sat next to her, a hand on her shoulder. To my icy touch she stiffened, then began sobbing even harder.

"Flynn! Flynn! I'm so sorry!" she screamed over and over. _Go find Clare.._ I wanted desperately to make sure Clare was safe. But Sarah couldn't hear me. As I flew up through the floorboards, I still felt the itching and burning all over from my torn flesh. _I have to find Clare.. even if I can't talk to her.. I want to see her. _I took one last glance at Sarah. _She's still crying.. its been hours and yet...Stay safe Sarah. _And with those final thoughts, I went off to find my love.

_W_ r On G e _N _d


	8. Chapter 2, End 3

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 2, END 3**

_Flynn_

**-Run to find a safe place**

The floor shook faster under my feet. I felt the floor under my feet already caving. Gathering up all the strength I had left, I sprinted back the down the hall I'd came from. At the same time, Rozerin rounded the corner. As soon as she saw me, she too ran, but towards me. I flung my arms open without realizing it. She reciprocated and pulled me in, sobbing hard. We both fell to our knees, still hugging as the ground shook harder. I looked up as another arm wound around my back. Denis was fighting tears too. I also saw the ceiling splitting apart. Hiding my face under Denis's protective form I prepared to die. When the chunks of ceiling fell, not even a pebble of it touched me.

* * *

We all stayed huddled together for longer than I can remember. More than an hour for sure. When we finally broke apart we look at our surroundings. The spot where I was originally standing was gone, along with most of the ceiling above it. _If I had been standing there.. _Denis groaned in pain. His head was bleeding lightly, and without even looking I knew he was decently bruised. He was the reason me and Rozerin were okay. I tentatively touched his arm.

"Thank you. For.."

"You don't need to thank me. That's what friends do, right?" he flashed a smile and ruffled my hair. He was like a big brother..in multiple ways. Just looking up at him was a strain, considering he had 9 inches on me.

"But..still. Thank you." I repeated, giving him a light punch. _Thanks to him..I lived to be able to find Clare soon. _Just as he was about to speak, Rozerin's voice cut him off.  
"Joselyn? Oak?" she called out with concern. She rounded the corner where they would've been. Her scream caused us to run to her.

"Rozerin wha-" I realized they were gone. The hallway was altered too. More broken.

"We switched spaces." Denis whispered.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"He means, when the earthquake happened not only did the hallways change, but the space we're in did too." Rozerin explained. _Then maybe..we're in Clare's space! _

"Then..Lets make the best of it. Let's go see who else is in this dimension." I stated proudly. And we were off.

We had been walking for hours. I knew Denis was slowing us down. He was injured and trying to hide it. I just wanted to find Clare. As we walked on a voice sounded. We all glanced at each other, but it wasn't a familiar voice. Stopping in the middle of the hallway we heard it again.

"Tu rn lef t. W al k tw elve pac es fo re ward. Un d er th e fl o or"

"Directions?" Denis asked.

"The doll," Rozerin whispered in fear mized with awe.

"The-" I watch Rozerin pull the ugly doll we found earlier out of her small backpack. It proceeded to repeat its directions. From the East Hall, we did just as it said. We found ourselves in front of a room marked with a placard that said **Custodian's Closet**.

"Where was it again?" I asked

"Under the floorboards." Denis answered as he crouched, prying up the loosest board he could find. He made excessive gagging sounds as he reached in and pulled out a bloody bag.

"A tongue!" Rozerin exclaimed as she covered her mouth, gagging at the smell. "What does it say?"

"Miyu or Annie might know," Denis said as he climbed to his feet, still clutching the bag. "Hey Roz could I...?" Rozerin sighed in reply as she opened her backpack, allowed Denis to place the blood soaked and crusty bag into it. I shifted uncomfortably and gritted my teeth. _I have to find Clare..We're wasting time... _The feeling was back. The urge to scream..the urge to..to... _the urge to kill. _I shuddered, trying to shake the feeling off. Denis crouched down in front of my and looked at me with concern. "Are you okay Flynn?" _No._

"Yes. I would like to go find Clare," I managed. But the longer I looked at him, the stronger I wanted to end his life.

"Alright, we're all set to go!" Rozerin interrupted. "Let's go upstairs!" We all began to walk back down the East Hall. Denis slung his arms around both me and Rozerin's shoulders with a smile.

"Team Get-Shit-Done, roll out!" He yelled excitedly. Rozerin giggled and I balled up my hands into fists. _Stab...I want..to..._ I faked a smile and laughed too. But as I did, I felt a dark sensation growing stronger. _If I don't find Clare soon...I might truly lose myself. _

_True End_

CHAPTER 2 CLEARED!


	9. Chapter 3

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 3**

_Leah_

"Well, I think I figured out how to beat that level!"

"Really? Show me."I laid my head against the side of the soft hotel bed. Rhed and Jake had been talking on and off about games for over an hour now. Jocelyn and Gareth were talking about idols again, while Mei and Kristi were quite humorously slamming Corpse Party: Blooddrive yet again. Ryen sat in a chair that was more away from everyone else, his eyes occasionally scanning the room then going back to his phone. _Probably texting Miyu or Sarah. _I realized we should probably do the charm soon as Gareth was antsy to go see Clare who was in the next room over, and I myself wanted to go see Allys. I stood up and loudly cleared my throat.

"Hey uh...Guys I think it's time to do the charm. Everyone ready?" A dull silence filled the room. Even the sound of Ryen typing had ceased. The tension in the room pressed tightly against me.

"Uh.." I mumbled.

"Lets do it!" Mei shouted enthusiastically, trying to get everyone excited.

"Yeah!" Kristi chimed in. Jake smiled and Rhed nodded his approval as Ryen got up and walked over. We all formed a slightly-less-than-perfect circle as Gareth put the charm in the center. I grabbed the head of the paper doll, and everyone followed me by pinching a part of it.

"Sachiko, we beg of you." I started nervously.

"Sachiko we beg of you."

"Sachiko, w-we beg of you." Jocelyn stammered. We all went around saying it. Suddenly Kristi, Mei and Jake all began pulling. Something felt off but we all started pulling as well, just to ensure nothing went wrong. The sound of a paper tearing in 8 places sounded out, calming everyone's nerves. Soon the room went right back to where it had been, normal chatter and smiles. Ryen hadn't gone back to his chair, but when I turned to strike up a conversation, the floor began moving. Smiles and laughs turned into screams and fear as it shook faster. I saw Mei fall onto Gareth, while Rhed and Jake tried to sturdy them. Kristi and Jocelyn grabbed each others hands without realizing it and a calm hand found my shoulder. Ryen was trying to stand still while calming me at the same time. As Kristi's other hand found mine, I felt the sensation of falling. My mind shut off along then, along with my consciousness.

* * *

I felt a soft lump beneath my head. Blinking my way into alertness, I realized I was on top of a dead body. A guttural scream ripped through my throat as I stumbled away from it. Two hands stopped me and I was greeted by a monotone voice.

"Soft landing huh?" I jumped, turning to be face to face with Ryen. He took his hands off my shoulders and began walking over to the body. I expected him to talk but he was silent. I began walking over to him when another form caught my eyes. Sprinting over to it, I realized it was moving.

"Hello..?" I whispered, trying to rouse the person. AS I squinted harder, it dawned on me that I knew that face. "Jocelyn?" Her eyes opened softly.

"Leah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sore, bu-" Standing up and stretching, she saw Ryen. She shot me a side glance.

"Hello," Ryen sighed, not even turning around to face us.

"May I ask what you're doing?" Jocelyn questioned quietly. Ryen didn't answer. Instead he straightened up and walked out of the room.

"Hey! Where are you going?"I shouted, beginning to follow him. Just then, another voice rang out.

"Where is who going?" Kristi asked, coughing here and there. Jocelyn ran to her, attempting to help her up.

"Oh my god!" she screamed. I joined them and took in Kristi's injured state. She was heavily bleeding from her back. The tiniest tip of wood protruded from her stomach. We didn't have to ask her where the rest of the spike was. She coughed harder, blood occasionally flying out of her mouth.

"Oh my god..What do we do!?" I began panicking.

"T-there's nothing to do. I'm going to die," Kristi managed, tears trickling out of her eyes.

"I have to get Ryen! He might know!" I yelled, sprinting back to the door.

"Wait!" Jocelyn exclaimed. "There's no time to look for Ryen! We have to help Kristi!" I turned to face Kristi and Jocelyn, then back to the hall. _What should I do? _

**-Follow Ryen**

**-Stay with Kristi and Jocelyn**

**-Look for medical supplies**


	10. Chapter 3, End 1

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 3, END 1**

_Leah_

**-Follow Ryen**

I took one last glace at a fading Kristi and a sobbing Jocelyn. Then, my feet led me out the door toward certain death. My heart pounded as I searched for Ryen. I lost track of how many corners I rounded, how many rooms I passed.

* * *

Just when I felt myself giving up, a body blurred by me. I quickly turned back and forth, realizing I didn't even know where I was anymore. As another body blurred by me I began laughing nervously. The visions of bodies speeding past grew more frequent, as did my laughs. Suddenly, the shadows began swooping at me. I couldn't move or breathe, all I could do was laugh. And I did. I laughed harder and harder, coughing occasionally from lack of air. _What's wrong with me?_ My giggles increased in volume as the dark spirits drew nearer. A flash of silver caught my eye but before I even realized something was wrong, I felt a burst of pain. Some wetness began soaking through my sleeve. Turning my head slowly, I saw the incision accompanied by a rushing flow of blood. The laughter returned. But this time, it wasn't just me. The many spirits dove at me, cutting and ripping chunks of my flesh away, laughing merrily. And they just kept coming. I felt pain jolt through my head, and after awhile I realized I was laying on the ground, blood pooling around me. Some soaked into my hair, all of it warm and sticky. I felt myself slipping away, the last sound I heard was laughter. _I hope...Jocelyn and Kristi make it...Allys..Ramiro..everyone._

* * *

I sat for a very long time by my body, fiddling with my hair as I fought off the insanity taking me over. I was dead now. The only thing I could fear anymore..._I hope I stay sane. I can't hurt anyone. Whatever I do.. _A sudden movement caused my head to jerk up. _Ryen. _He walked around the room with an emotionless face. The second he saw my body he walked over calmly, but the shock was etched clearly onto his face. His hands touched a few of my cuts, most likely inspecting them to see what killed me. I felt fury building inside of me. _He shouldn't touch me..nobody should. Ever. The living dare not disturb those who've passed.. _I shot forward, grabbing his throat. Choking sounds escaped him as he attempted to free himself. Lurching forward, his body hit the wall. One hand still on his throat, my other found his hair. With one swift movement, I smashed his head against the wall. And again. And again. I just kept going, beginning to laugh again. Eventually, he stopped crying out in pain and even ceased breathing. I quickly flew away, knowing his ghost would soon be after me. Finally, I understood why the ghosts of this school murdered the living, their own friends and peers. _Because it's so damn funny._

_W_ r On G e _N _d


	11. Chapter 3, End 2

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 3, END 2**

_Leah_

**-Stay with Kristi and Jocelyn**

I quickly shut the door and ran over to Kristi's side. "Kr-kris.." Jocelyn stammered through her tears. I placed my hand on her throat, feeling for a pulse, if even only just a faint one. Her breath had become labored and I saw her and Jocelyn lace hands like earlier before we had entered Hell itself. Every time Kristi's eyes even closed slightly Jocelyn's would widen as she clenched her teeth and gripped her hand.

"Kristi I-" She held one finger to my lips.

"Shhh. It's okay. Just make sure to.." her coughing interrupted her.

"To..?" I asked, grabbing her other hand.

"To carry on. Don't give up. Protect each other." Her words were wise and full of compassion. That's what truly set off the waterworks for me and Jocelyn. Seeing Jocelyn sob was unnerving. She always had a calm air about her but right now her psyche was cracking apart. The terror finally set in. _She's going to die. We're going to be..alone. _Suddenly I gripped Kristi's frail hand, waves of emotion over taking my whole being.

"Kristi! Please don't give up! P-Please don't leave! We need you! K-Kr.." I couldn't even bear to finish. A wet hand landed atop mine. I looked up through my tear soaked eyelashes to see Kristi, a small smile on her lips.

"It doesn't hurt," she whispered, a face of ecstasy was all she wore. A small chuckle escaped her as she gave my hand a comforting squeeze. Tears continued to flood my eyes, spilling over the dam that was my eyelids. "It..doesn't.." I squeezed back softly.

"Kristi, we'll be here for you until..We won't leave you. I'm so sorry we couldn't do more an-"

"She-she's..." a gasp escaped me as I pressed my ear to her chest. A small amount of her blood stained my ear, leaving it buzzing. The feeling of death and despair filled the enclosed room. I could barely breathe. Jocelyn's body made a thump as it smacked against the ground. Loud sobs turned into screams of pain. The room seemed to tremor with every yell of agony.

* * *

My eyes wouldn't stray from Kristi's corpse. It was already starting to turn pale and cold. _How long has it been? _Jocelyn was still crying, though her voice was but a whisper now. I finally tried to go to her. As I reached her side, she looked up at me with a distorted face. My arms secured her, pulled her into an embrace of empathy. She shook at my touch, but her sobs had ceased. After sitting in this position for several minutes Jocelyn finally spoke up.

"What do we do?" she begged.

"..I don't know..I-I'm sor-" The classroom door swung open, hitting the wall with a bang. We both jumped, fear instantly sweeping over us. My eyes widened in fear, my breath sped up. Jocelyn's body has gone rigid. A tall man stood in the doorway, a small child sitting on his shoulder with a bloody grin. The odd pair advanced into the room, idly shutting the door behind themselves. _Sachiko!? And Yoshikazu?! _My heartbeat increased, slamming against my ribs, begging for freedom like a desperate prisoner. I climbed shakily to my feet, dragging Jocelyn up with me. The giant villain approached as his assistant flew to the side to watch. He took a charge at Jocelyn. I found myself pushing her aside and dashing at the large man. His hand quickly engulfed my neck, swiftly lifting me and turning my head toward the child who had taken place over a tired Jocelyn. He released my throat, choosing to use his arm to pin me in place, in perfect placement to view Sachiko and Jocelyn. Snickers escaped the red gowned child as she lifted a pair of scissors. She flung them open wide, not wasting a second before pressing them to Jocelyn's exposed throat. A cry of glee slipped through her cracked lips. Sachiko changed suddenly, moving the scissors to Jocelyn's stomach before clamping them shut. Screams tore through her, ones so loud, so fearful, they couldn't be human. The evil youth began pulling the split skin apart, quickly pulling out some meat. _What..what is that!? _The answer soon came to mind. The small girl was clutching my friend's intestines. She twisted them around, earning louder and less human screeches.

* * *

Eventually Sachiko displayed a bored expression. "What the fuck? It died. Boring! Oi, big dumb! I wanna play with my other onee-chan," she drawled viciously, staring coldly into my eyes. Yoshikazu obeyed with a few groans, throwing me down before Sachiko. I squirmed, attempting to to get away. But soon enough her tiny form loomed above me. She pointed one tiny finger at me, simply stating "There." Before I could even be confused, the monster swung the hammer he carried with him unto my knee. It instantly shattered, bone ripping through veins and muscle. "AhhAHHHHH! UHWAHH!" my shrieks mirrored Jocelyn's, simply animalistic. I still attempted to get away, but with a shattered knee I could barely breathe regularly let alone move. She pointed again, and this time the hammer obliterated my other knee. Next was both of my elbows, completely immobilizing me. Nothing but sobs blended with screams escaped me. The child simply laughed darkly, turning and pointing away from me. My body trembled, my skin crawling. I felt my eyes almost tear out of my head as the man came back. In his hand he held up the mutilated and barely recognizable Jocelyn. He simply uncurled his fingers, dropping her lifeless body atop of me. Her gaping stomach landed over my face, her blood filling my mouth, my throat, my lungs. I attempted coughing through it, leading to me only ingesting more. As I choked on skewed organs and blood, Sachiko's laugh sounded out again.

"Keekee! How does she taste Onee-chan? Keekeekee! Pretty gross I bet, you sick dog! Kee, I hope you aren't choking," she taunted as I felt my eyes rolling back and my breath depleting.

* * *

I hovered over my corpse with Jocelyn by my side. My joints still screamed in pain as her hands rested on her stomach. It was all her fault. _Her screams called Sachiko and Yoshikazu...her blood drowned me...her fault we didn't leave the room. _Strong amounts of anger filled me as I looked at her. Before I could take any action, a person entered the room. _Ryen. _He dropped the flashlight that he had been holding as his face grew to show shock. His eyes drifted over Kristi's corpse, to mine and Jocelyn's stacked ones. He closed his eyes with sadness as he grabbed the flashlight off the blood stained floor boards and turned away, exiting swiftly. I only grew to be more angry. This rage saturated through my body, soaking every fiber of my being till there was nothing but hate. _I will kill them all._

_W_ r On G e _N _d


	12. Chapter 3, End 3

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 3, END 3**

_Leah_

**-Look for medical supplies**

I ran out the door as fast as possible. My legs carried me through the halls as the two girl's voices faded. As I came to the door of the infirmary, I twisted the knob carefully. The door swung open easily, putting up no resistance what so ever. A deep set frown etched on my face accompanied by darting eyes were on me as I entered cautiously. My feet pounded the old wood floor as I sprinted toward the cabinet. Upon tugging it open, I was met with hundreds of coloured bottles that varied in height and size. I swept a few more-or-less recognizable ones into my small bag, snatched a bundle of wraps and turned to go. As I sprinted down the hall my feet tangled together, resulting in my unfortunate fall. I climbed awkwardly to my feet when a shine in the darkness caught my eye. A red vial filled with a small amount of liquid lay unaccompanied on the floor. Out of pure instinct I found my hand grabbing it and sliding it into my bag. _Now..please don't let me be too late!_

* * *

I stumbled clumsily into the classroom just in time to witness Kristi's eyes close. She was gone. I found myself on my knees, hot tears spilling over my cheeks.

"I-I'm so sorry. I-I..I'm a failure!" My hands flew to my face in an attempt to hide my shame and the atrocious face I knew I made when I cried. Two hands settled on my wrists, pulling them from my face. _Jocelyn. _

"You went out, you tried. You didn't just sit around and do nothing as she..she..." Tears arched over her eyelids as she too broke down. I flung my arms around her and she reciprocated. As we held each other, a sudden presence swept over me. I turned and looked up to see a large man with bloody eye and rotting flesh. I could barely gasp as I pushed Jocelyn behind me. The man didn't advance but instead a small imp of a child descended down in front of my face. She let out a few cold giggles.

"Keekee! Hiii Onee-chans! Wanna playyy?" She dragged out her words slowly, leaving a bitter sound in my ears. My body was a statue as she cupped it, blood from her tiny hands staining my skin. "I have a realllly fun game in mind," she added with a malicious smile. Just as she whipped out a set of rusty scissors, the brown blades touching my chin, something rustled in my bag. As I turned to look behind me a hand shot passed my face, clutching none other than the small vial. The miniscule level of liquid shot out, splashing the girl in front of me. Sachiko let out a howl of pain, temporarily clutching at her face. The very same hand gripped the front of my shirt, pulling me to my feet. I was yanked forward and immediately began running. The monster attempted to stop us, only to receive the last remnants of the bottle to his face. Yoshikazu mimicked Sachiko, bending in pain with wild moans of agony. I had only realized the hand belonged to Jocelyn when we had reached the end of the hall.

* * *

We collapsed in a heap when we reached the second floor. Jocelyn's chest rose and fell slowly, an indication of exhaustion but also life. My lungs had a fire ripping through them, causing every breath to burn. Occasional coughs interrupted this cycle of pain, accompanied by excess spit. Jocelyn nudged my shoulder softly.

"We made it," she breathed. Tears climbed into my eyes again as a smile formed on my lips.

"Yeah. We did," I answered softly. Just as I felt my mind drifting into unconsciousness, a yell sounded out, a close one at that. An averagely sized form came into view down the far end of the hall. As it got closer, choppy black hair of decent length and fair skin were recognizable. Before I could even ponder who it was, they hit me full force in a tackle. "Uwah!" I cried out in pain as I squinted at my assailant. I couldn't believe my eyes. Small tears hit my face accompanied by laughing. Her hair brushed against my cheek as I began to cry.

"Oi! Avery slow the fuck down woul- Avery!" the masculine form sprinted to my side, tentatively touching Avery's shoulder.

"I'm fine Max," she responded, sitting up and taking his hand. His hand swiped at the liquid spilling over her eyelids. He gave a sigh of relief, then peered over her shoulder. His face quickly changed into a shocked expression as he walked towards me. I let out a small laugh, attempting to climb to my feet. He pulled me up by my wrists, letting out a chuckle as I hugged him tightly. In the background sounds of Jocelyn and Avery laughing and crying hit my ears. My knees drooped suddenly, pitching me forward. Max caught me and began teasing me instantly.

"I know, I tend to have that effect on woman," he joked. I swatted him playfully as I sturdied myself. He turned around suddenly, crouching down with his back towards me. "Hop on," he exclaimed happily. _Who am I to turn down that offer? _As soon as my feet were off the ground he began running with me. I couldn't help but cry out in shock, followed by laughs. Jocelyn was leaned against Avery for support, as Max ran up to them. "Race ya," he dared, already preparing to sprint.

"Bring it!" Avery joked, bending slightly so Jocelyn could climb on. They took off, me and Jocelyn struggling to hold on. Max often took a huge lead but slowed down to stay with the other two. In the back of my mind, a name was permanently etched. It throbbed in my brain every time I laughed. _Kristi. _

_True End_

CHAPTER 3 CLEARED!


	13. Chapter 4

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 4**

_Annie_

_"You'll be fine dear. I'll see you soon." _I scrolled up again.

_ "But I'm nervous. And I just want to see you..." _My messages of desperation brought a mix of blushing and sweating to my face as I read our conversations yet again. Anything to avoid eye contact with the others.

_"My 'yome' 3 How's everything going?" _A smile crept onto my face. _"My 'yome'"._

"What're youuu smiling at?" a voice interrupted. I automatically clutched my phone to my chest, defensively replying with a short "Nothing!" But Katie didn't buy it. She sauntered over, making hilarious faces all the way. With a pounce, she was on me, grabbing at my phone. Luckily, Denis stopped us both with one sentence.

"It's time," he managed, brandishing a paper doll in one hand. The atmosphere dropped 20 degrees and so did everyone's volume. Silently, we all crept forward and formed a measly 7 person circle, each in it grabbing onto the doll. Before we began, Katie made it a point to lean over and whisper into my ear "Honestly, I always thought _you _were the Ran" with a soft snicker. I turned with a "humph" and focused on the task at hand. _The Sachiko Forever After charm. _I was terrified to even touch the thing but it was Sarah's idea as a joke. And I cared about her thoughts enough to try. We all clutched onto the doll, each speaking the infamous sentence. Something felt odd but we ripped apart the flimsy paper anyway and proceeded to climb to our feet and separate. Just as Katie walked up to ask me about the texts again, the room began to tremor. Tremors turned into extreme earthquake-like movements, and I found myself clawing for a sturdy object. The lights flickered and my arms found themselves around a slightly chubby frame. The body reciprocated my touch and together we slid into a black free fall.

* * *

Shrieks of terror were my new alarm clock as I jolted awake. Attempting to shake myself awake, I looked around quickly, taking in a dilapidated and musty hallway. I scrambled to my feet, surveying my surroundings more closely. I saw dark stains on the walls, covered in flies and coated with stench. A few crusty bodies lay disintegrating in corners along with cracked floorboards soaked in mold. Just as I was turning again, another scream seemed to call out to me. My feet dragged me down the hallway toward the source, a trembling Shannon clutching a limp Cecil.

"What happened!?" my panicked voice managed weakly.

"I-I don't know! I found her and she was just..just was lying here!" Shannon broke into quiet, stressful sobs. I crept closer to Cecil, touching her chest for a pulse of some sort. A faint heartbeat answered to my fingers, granting me a smile against my worry. I adjusted Cecil's head in Shannon's lap, checking for head wounds. She began to stir slightly, leading to exclamations of joy. Loud footsteps interrupted my joy as my head shot over to view what was coming. A stumbling Aki ran in, followed by a nervous Shelby and the always curious Allys. My eyes filled with excitement, my feet running toward the three on command. My body collided with Allys's as we both let out sighs of relief. Before I could finish reuniting with the others, Cecil groaned in pain. We all collectively ran to Shannon and Cecil, staring down at her with worry.

"...Cecil?" Shannon whispered.

"Uuwghh... Why is it so dark?" Cecil choked out weakly. Exclaims of relief and joy rang throughout the halls as Cecil managed to sit up and regained full consciousness. For a moment, all was happy and calm. But of course, only for a moment. A sudden shaking occurred, just like in the hotel room. Shannon and Cecil clung together, as did Aki and Allys. Shelby latched onto my arm as we together ducked our heads down in wait.

* * *

My eyelids fluttered open, blinking out dust. Through squinted eyes, I counted the bodies around me. _1, 2, 3, 4... Where's the other person!? _Worry blossomed in my chest as I frantically called names. "Aki!?". A near-silent voice responded from across the hall. "Allys? Shelby!?". Two more voices answered, one nearer to me and one closer to Aki's location. "Cecil! Shannon!" I called out finally. This time, no response came. "Cecil! Shannon!" I repeated, this time more loudly and shakily. Still no answer.

"Where could they be?" Shelby questioned nervously.

"Don't worry, we'll find them," Allys comforted quietly. We all got up, meeting together in the middle of the hall. Floorboards creaked under our feet as we looked all around. No signs of either person appeared, except one hole in the floorboards that was too dark to navigate. Aki began sniffling and even I felt tears forming. _Cecil and Shannon were both really strong...if they could get hurt or disappear...Sarah... _I released a shaky breath.

"What do we do now?" Aki mumbled.

"Survive," I responded, masking my terror and tears. "We have to escape from here before...before anything happens to _us_," I added as we began walking.

"How do we do that?" Shelby practically whimpered. I turned to face them, realizing they expected me lead. _Me? Oh geez...where's Sarah when I need her..._

Uh..Okay, well first, we need to find the ghost kids body parts. Then we have 3 less murderers to worry about and no separate spaces to keep all of us apart,"

"Where should we go first?" _That was a good question. Where should we go first...?_

**Go to floorboards by Infirmary**

**Go to pool on the roof**


	14. Chapter 4, End 1

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 4, END 1**

_Annie_

**Go to floorboards by infirmary**

The walk up to the infirmary was exhausting. I would explain it if thinking about it didn't give me a massive headache. Aki, Allys and Shelby were pretty silent the whole way up, besides sniffles here and there. As we reached our destination, I crouched and began prying at boards. All three girls assisted me quietly, all awaiting the sight of a blood soaked bag containing organs.

"AAUGH!" Aki let out a strangled scream, her hand flicking a small burlap bag behind her. I crawled over to the bag, prying it open slowly.

"Nice job 'Yoshiki'!" Shelby exclaimed, patting Aki on her back as they walked over to me. As I peered in, a glossy orb and brownish-grey lump of flesh sat inside the bag. Shelby gave me a questioning look.

"Yuki's," I groaned, handing the bag over to Shelby. Just like some stupid and pointless frat group passing a bottle of whiskey, we all passed around the organ bag, peering in and displaying disgusted faces. Finally, I pocketed the crusty sack and the four of us collectively climbed to our feet and clambered down the halls.

* * *

"So obviously, Yoshiki had flaws bu-,"

"AHHHHHHHHH!" we all turned to look at each other, trembling and filled with confusion.

"WHO IS THA-," Aki attempted.

"GIHHH IT BAHHHHH!" My words tangled in my throat, allowing only a small gasp to slip out. A blue form flew around the corner, speeding towards us with terrifying shrieks of hate. For a moment, everything was still. I closed my eyes, accepting my end.

"RUN!" Allys snapped, grabbing onto my wrist and yanking me along with her. Aki and Shelby were already rounding the next corner as we sprinted behind them. My breathing was ragged as we went hallway to hallway. The unfortunate fact about being human is that we tire easily and stumble often, especially at the worst of times. In a moment that I'd remember till death – which didn't seem far off – my shoe hooked onto a loose board. My momentum dragged Allys down, and she scrambled to get us back up together. Right as my feet felt the ground again, a freezing hand pulled me sharply, smashing my face into the same floorboards that had tripped me up. Allys's head snapped back to me. Her eyes widened and her breath blew out of her open mouth. Tears filled my eyes as I pushed her hand away from me.

"G- hghh... hh... GO!" I shouted desperately. She closed her eyes, turned and sprinted away. For just a second, I felt at peace, my breaths slowing and my heartbeat slowing. That was, until Yuki began dragging me face first across the peeling wood. Blood and wood shavings filled my mouth as I struggled to keep my eyes closed yet sharp shrapnel dug into them as well. My screams began bursting out of my mouth, hitting walls and echoing everywhere. This only seemed to fuel Yuki's blood lust. She flew faster, shredding the top half of my body. All I could view was blood and drenched hair that stuck all over my face, in my eyes, mouth, nose.

"No! No no NO NOO! FUCK! NO PLEASE NO NOOO!" Aki's voice exclaimed. Pounding sounds were evident and they grew in desperation as Yuki dragged me closer.

"Aki please! Be quiet she'll hear us!" Shelby begged loudly. Yuki dragged me closer. We were so close I could hear the two of them breathing roughly.

"NO SHE WON'T BUT SHE'LL FIND US IF WE DON'T RUN!" I was near enough to feel the vibrations from Aki's fists against the walls.

"Aki please! Lets just ru-," I felt my body go airborne. The last thing I felt was a sharp surface, crushing everything in an instant.

* * *

There was blood everywhere. Aki and Shelby stood trembling, faces dotted with fresh crimson liquid. Allys was nowhere in sight. A few organs sat at the bottom of the wall, piled up and stained too dark to distinguish what was what. My whole body felt numb as I ran my hands over the stained drywall. _Mayu... maybe somebody will find and root through my dismembered insides... just like Morishige..maybe...just possibly... it will be Sarah. _In some sick and twisted way, I hoped she would. _At least she'd get to touch me one last time. Maybe it'll give her closure. Help her survive. Oh god... everyone... please survive..._

"AHHHHHH! GIHHH IT BAHHHHK!" I turned idly to face Yuki. She rushed at Aki, tearing up her skin with her bare, child sized hands. Shelby was too terrified to move. She fell to her knees, tears pouring out of her eyes needlessly. I knew she would be next. Quietly, I turned away, floating off to watch the other's progress. Maybe I'd find Shannon, Allys, or Cecil. _Maybe even Ramiro or Sarah... maybe... just maybe..._

_W r O__ ng e N D_


	15. Chapter 4, End 2

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 4, END 2**

_Annie_

**Go to pool on the roof**

The walk up to the roof was hellish to say the least. As we walked, the continual ringing of screams surrounded us. My own head was pounding as I shakily clutched my phone in front of me, the flashlight coming out of the front illuminating every grimy crevice. We all seemed to take turns sniffling, breathing shakily, or whimpering. Soon, we neared the entrance out to the pool. Upon turning the door knob, a voice called out.

"They're here," the voices was deep and a tad raspy. I felt I could almost recognize it.

"Tee hee! Great! You know what to do," a second voice answered, this time higher and more child-like. We all exchanged glances and I felt my whole chest compressing into a ball.

"Maybe we should go back," Aki was the first to speak after a few long minutes.

"But we need the tongue!" Allys quickly argued, her voice wavering. "Right?" she asked, looking from face to face for support.

"She's right," Shelby chirped. "But…" she sniffled, "B-But…I can't go in there! I'm s-so scared!" she whispered, barely able to speak through her tremoring lips and ragged breaths.

"Hey, it's going to be alrig-"

"I'm scared too," Aki mumbled flatly.

"Like I said, don't worry it'll all b-"

"I'll do it," I found myself blabbing. All at once they turned to face me.

"But-"Aki started.

"But nothing. Wait here. If I'm not back in 20 minutes…leave," I'd never heard myself sound so grave. They all nodded, somberly, one by one.

"Be safe," Allys insisted, grabbing onto my arm and giving it a quick squeeze. I nodded, turning to the door. I found myself rubbing my hands together as I stood, studying the metal hinges now saturated with rust. _You can do this. Just think of how proud you'll make her…make everyone. _Finally, I reached out and turned the doorknob.

* * *

The minute the door swung open, I knew something was wrong. As I walked out onto the tiles surround the murky pool, the door slammed shut.

"Annie!?" Aki's voice, now muffled by the door, called out. I felt every fiber of my body tense up as I whipped my body around, trying to find who...or what… shut the door. A shadow came into view and as I tried to find it, hands grabbed my waist. I thrashed wildly, screaming at the top of my lungs. Far off, I could hear fists of desperate friends pounding the door, panicked voice crying out to me. I continued to let out desperate cries for help, any help. I swung my head back sharply, hearing a crunch as the hands dropped me. Quickly, I began crawling, barely able to see out of my tear-filled eyes. My hand slipped into something cold and slimy. _The pool. _Hurriedly, I yanked my hand out of the water and tried to back up, bumping into a solid object. As I slowly turned my head, my assailant's face came into view.

"…Jake…?" I sobbed out. He only smiled and wrapped one arm around me. With his other, he began pushing my head into the grimy waters. I fought, hard. Tears and screams escaped me as I tried to stop my head from going under. But he was bigger. He was stronger. As my head plunged under the waves again, I squeezed my eyes shut. Something similar to rotted skin brushed my skin. As I lazily opened my eyes for presumably the last time, I saw Sarah's face. Then Allys. Ramiro. Aki, Shelby. Even Cecil and Shannon. And I began to fight again. Sharply bucking my body and kicking my legs all over, escape felt more and more futile. I hastily attempted to claw at his hands, leaving chunks of flesh under my nails. My head arose out of the water and I breathed in deeply just before it plunged under again. I continued to fight and thrash and claw. I felt his hand burning my neck in the struggled, practically rubbing it raw. As the water filled my lungs, so did my blood. My movements slowed and I began to lose consciousness. _Goodbye… Everyone. _The last thing I felt was peace. Unmistakable peace.

* * *

The peace was a lie. Pain. Pain was unmistakable. The blood and water mixture sloshed around my lungs, causing great chest pain. A had a permanent migraine now. I'd always thought about having a tattoo, but a hand mark permanently burned onto my neck wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I wandered aimlessly around the poolside, glancing frequently between my floating body and Jake's laughing form. The banging on the door had stopped. I floated threw it to see they had gone. A smile landing on my face, I began searching for the others. _Maybe, some of them will be like me._ _And I won't be so_ _lonely… Or maybe… maybe I can make them like me. _A new, colder smile grew on my face. The search for the others would be fun.

_True End_

_CHAPTER 4 CLEARED!_


	16. Chapter 5

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 7**

_Rozerin_

His footsteps were finally fading. I reached down at my side and peeled my sticky shirt off the floor. My hands were still trembling, even as I pushed myself on the floor. I did my best to hold my screams in, lest he hear and come back. As I went to walk, throbbing pains shot through me, leading to me doubling over in pain. Holding my side did little to help, but it was definitely better than nothing. I limped out of the desolate room and allowed myself one glance at the bookshelf. It no longer moved, the fingers sticking out from under the sides were still and turning greyer by the minute. I stifled my sobs while I hobbled down the hall, occasionally bumping against the wall. The further I got from that place, the better.

* * *

After what felt like agonizing hours but what I'm sure amounted to maybe 55 minutes, I slouched against the wall to rest. My stab wounds were throbbing as if they were growing back together. My shirt was continually sticking to my skin, catching in my wounds. The once crisp white t-shirt has been half-dyed rusty brown, with a few dabs of red thrown in. The memory kept replaying in my head. When he walked over to my friend and then the screams sounded. The pleas for help, desperate, his voice cracking in terror. The sound of a loud thud as the bookshelf landed on his body, crushing his organs, his bones. How he struggled for life under it while the other man pushed down on it harder and harder. How I didn't do a thing. I didn't save him. I abandoned him. Then that person, the one I called my friend, the one who has just crushed our friend to death. He walked toward me slowly. The knife digging into my kidney as I screamed in pain. He never stopped laughing, not even for a second. How he twisted the blade around, his eyes gleaming, before pulling it out and pushing it into my intestines. When I dropped to the ground and he laughed mercilessly one last time as he walked away. These images played on a constant loop, engraved into my skull. Now I was going to bleed out slowly and painfully, only to be forgotten forever. How fair. _Maybe after I go, I can see him again. _Just as I was about to give up and let myself die against a crumbling wall, the sound of voices rang out.

"Oh my god! You're okay!" one said

"My love!" the other answered. _They could help me! Bring me to the infirmary!_ I forced myself onto my shaking legs as I limped down the hallway towards salvation.

* * *

\- - - - - Crawling. I was on my hands and knees, scraping against splintered floorboards, crawling. The immense burning that tore through my side was probably a sign that

I would die soon. Before I was even halfway across the expansive hallway, a blue and yet clear figure entered my line of sight. The spirit began laughing at my pitiful condition. While he was distracted, an idea dawned on me._ If I did something…right now…while it isn't paying attention…maybe I can survive this. But what…_

**Call out to survivors**

**Run past the spirit**


	17. Chapter 6

**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**

**CHAPTER 6**

_Rhed_

The first thing I saw as my eyelids opened was an empty hall. I looked around in shock, my body trembled against the floorboards. My head ached from being shoved down. _Why would Jake do that…he didn't even seem like he knew me. _I climbed shakily to my feet, determined to find him. As I wandered the halls aimlessly, I felt a shadow following me. I quickly whipped around to see a floating orb, colored blue and pulsating with light.

"**If it's your friend you seek, follow me,**_" _it seemed to hiss its words. It began drifting down the hall toward the second floor staircase.

"Wait!" I commanded, causing the misty ball to halt. "How did you know I was looking for my friend?"

"**Kshhha…kshhha…**" it almost seemed to be thinking, laughing even. "**I can read your trivial thoughts. The one called Jake that you wish to find is on the roof. Come,**" I finally realized the creature was the one giving orders, and I followed its small form across the rotted elementary school.

* * *

After what felt like hours, we reached the top of the school. _The pool…why would he be here?_ As I crossed the tiles, a body caught my eye. For some reason it looked familiar. Hurriedly running to the poolside, I saw why I had recognized to person in the pool. _One of the girls who had come here with us…that must mean…did all the groups fail the charm? That's thirty people! _

"Spirit! How many life forms are here?" I questioned shakily.

"**Around five hours ago, thirty forms like yourself entered the many spaces of Heavenly Host Elementary. Since arriving, two have already joined my side of life**," the ghost answered gently, with a tinge of sorrow in their tone. "**I sense six other life forms in this space. Don't worry. It isn't so bad here. As long as you die peacefully, that is,**" it continued in an attempt to be comforting. It was really not comforting. I turned back to the corpse in the pool, gently pulling it onto the ground next to the pool's edge. The body's I.D. card said "Annie, UK". My eyes widened as the card slipped between my fingers, clattering onto the cement. _This was…Sarah's friend…if she found out… _Visions of Sarah screaming, crying, tearing her skin, slamming her head and fists against the wall…but yet…_If I see her, I have to tell her. She has a right to know. _I leaned over to Annie's body, crossing her arms and closing her eyes gently. I let out a small, shaky breath, then climbed to my feet and walked away from the roof top, never to return.

* * *

As I dragged my feet across the rotted floorboards, my ears filled with continual silence. That was, until the ground began to shake. First I fell against the wall, then to the ground. I couldn't stand, move, see. I shut my eyes as the vibrations increased, trying to block out the nausea hitting me. Finally, it all ceased at once. I stood up again, bracing myself against the wall. Only, this wall was different from before. I had finally realized why my body felt a lot sorer then it had before the quake hit. I was in the basement level of Heavenly Host. My head rang with pain and blood drizzled down my temple. I felt bruised but still managed to walk, or rather, vaguely limp. After walking hall to hall, I stopped to rest. The realization hit me that I was lost. I punched the wall, which did me absolutely no favors. There were only a few options before me. _Where should I go?_

**-Go to death room**

**-Go to bathroom with ladder**

**-Keep walking on**


	18. Chapter 6, End 1

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 6, END 1**

_Rhed_

**-Go to bathroom with ladder**

The most sensible action was to escape this place. I walked down a few more halls, eventually reaching the door to the bathroom. As I pushed it open, I heard a scream rip through the air. It felt almost…familiar. I took off running toward the source, to the great protests of my legs. The screams continued, and finally the location of the victim was revealed. Sachiko herself sat calmly with her legs crossed on a blood drenched table. She was letting out another guttural scream but stopped when she saw me.

"Ke ke ke… works every time!"

"No…" I whispered as the realization hit me.

"Stupid onii-chan! I knew a big idiot like you would fall for that!" I turned to run but found the door shut behind me. As I slowly turned back to Sachiko, I saw the rusty scissors she always carried, already poised in her hand to stab. My whole being shook as I prepared to fight for my life. _After all…I'm bigger and stronger. She's just a child. _Yet I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. Just as I was about to move, the small girl shot forward and stabbed me in the chest. I gasped in shock, trying to push her away. But it was too late. She dragged the blade down to my stomach, laughing with glee. She reached into my stomach, ripping out one of my kidneys. The scream that escaped me was terrifying. It didn't even sound like me. It sounded feral. Murderous. "Ooh! It's squishy, ke!" Sachiko threw it carelessly across the room, as I dropped to the ground. I could barely breathe through all the pain. "Let's play a game! I Spy! Hmm…I spy a long, squishy organ. Can you guess what it is?" I couldn't even find the strength to glare at her. "I'll show you!" she squealed with delight as she tore out my large intestine, wiggling it around as she giggled. It was tossed aside just like my kidney. "I know! I spy, with my little eye…Something pink and inflating," I groaned in terror as she reached into my chest. She sunk the blades of the scissors into one of my lungs. I couldn't even scream. I felt blood gushing into my lung, then out through the new hole she has created. I began going numb, but not before her last find. "I spy, with my little eye…something _red_ and _beating_…can you guess what?" she questioned playfully. It was all a game to her. With only her small hands, she reached back into my chest and sunk her fingers into my heart. I let out a small, desperate gasp, then felt absolutely nothing.

* * *

I wished so desperately for that first moment of death where I felt nothing. When Sachiko plunged her grimy hands into my heart, ripping it to shreds. But now, all I felt was immense pain. I could still feel my leg burning, my bruises stinging, my lungs screaming for air, my heart being torn apart. The spirit was wrong. Death only trapped me here for eternity. Sachiko had already left, but I sat floating over my mutilated corpse. Slowly, the door of the metal closet in the room swung open. Sarah ran out of it, throwing herself on top of what was left of my body.

"Rhed! God! God God God! Why!? Just…Fuck!" she kept screaming as I watched silently. She reacted exactly how I thought she would, sobbing and clutching at my shredded skin. She continued to cry for hours. I had tried to place a hand on her, but all she did was stiffen up in terror. _In this way, I can't even comfort anyone, let alone protect them. Useless. _I stayed watching her sob for hours on end until Sachiko returned and shredded her just like me. _Just like everyone_.

_W r O__ n g En d_


	19. Chapter 6, End 2

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 6, END 2**

_Rhed_

**Keep walking on**

My feet had ached before, but that was a tickle compared to this. As I trudged along hall to hall, the pain surging throughout my body increased by large intervals. I hit my third dead end and finally decided to turn around. But when I did, I was face to face with an ice cold figure. Well actually, out of the two of us, only _I_ had a face. _This is the youngest ghost child…Tokiko Tsuji. _My body reacted quicker than my mind as I pushed past her floating form and forced my legs into a half-sprint-half-pathetic-limp. With no direction in mind, I allowed my feet to guide me as the shadow of a child followed slowly. Not even thinking, I flung myself into an open doorway.

The floor was packed dirt, the stench wafting around the room unbearable. As I surveyed the room, all I saw was corpses. Bodies without eyes, tongues, even faces, all floating in a pool of blood. _This must be the body pool from the game…_I trembled as I realized I recognized one of the forms in the pool. A small, skinny person with curly red hair..._Kristi. _I shifted uncomfortably. She didn't seem mutilated like the others. Her clothes were stained red and yet she wore a peaceful expression. Although we had our battles, our differences, our awful fights, I still felt a tinge of sorrow that she was gone. _She must've been one of the life forms that passed on…and Annie was the other. _Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a sharpie and scribbled their names on my arm. I couldn't forget them. _I wouldn't. _In the midst of my thoughts, the marker slipped from between my fingers. As I reached down to grab it, a cold sharp pain rang out in my ankle. I gasped out in pain and turned in an attempt to investigate what had happened. Without warning, I was met with sharp, ridged blades being forced into my eye. I fell to my knees, grasping at the handles, looking up to see Tokiko. Before I could move, pull the scissors out, run, her tiny hands filled with superhuman strength and pushed me into the murky crimson water. I kicked, thrashed, clawed, to no avail. She couldn't have been more than four feet, or more than 50 pounds. Yet some power coursed through her veins, allowing her to drown my much larger form. Soon, my fight gave out as my life gave in.

* * *

My pathetic ghost floated over my body. Ironic how close I floated to her body. Bittersweet irony. Voices screamed out in the distance, echoing the halls for what seemed like an eternity. But I suppose that is exactly what death is. An eternity of pain. I felt even my ghost form starting to fade as the darkness washed over me. _This is it. I can do nothing. I've become nothing. I am absolutely, unfathomably, nothing. _

_W r O__ d_


	20. Chapter 6, End 3

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 6, END 3**

_Rhed_

**-Go to death room**

As I continued to lean against the wall breathing erratically, I heard the pound of footsteps, followed by the click of a door shutting quietly. As quickly as I could manage, I limp-ran toward the source of the sound. I found myself entering a room practically painted in blood. Buckets were filled to the brim with a syrupy texture colored the ever-so-popular shade of Heavenly Host Elementary, dark crimson. One contained severed arms while another seemed stuffed with rotted tongues, a few freshly pink and all bloody.

Suddenly, another pair of footsteps became apparent and I ran to the first place I saw, the custodial cabinet. I quickly crammed my body in it and immediately my skin was pressed between cool metal and somehow even colder flesh. My head snapped over to see who, or what, I was touching. I found my nose mere inches from a forehead. Two large brown eyes looked up at me and quickly filled with tears. _Those eyes… that face… _I dared not speak as realization gained on me. Instead, my own eyes filled with tears as the person smiled up at me, trying her best to keep her own whimpers in. We simply stood staring at each other in complete silence.

"Rh-" her voice was cut off by loud thudding echoing around. I noticed she was trembling and placed a hand on her shoulder. I peered through the crack in the cabinet doors and scanned the room. Upon seeing nothing and the sound of the thumps gone, I finally spoke.

"Saraaaaaaahhhhhh," I mock-screamed in a low whisper. She started laughing in a hushed manner and wiped her eyes. I laughed as well as we stood in half silence waiting to escape.

* * *

"Is he gone?" she whispered, a hint of fear still lingering in her tone.

"I think so. Can you run?" I asked squinting in an attempt to survey her in the dark. She glanced down at her feet.

"Y-yeah," she answered shakily. I pushed open the doors slowly and crept to the door, Sarah following closely behind. I cracked open the door to the room and surveyed the hall.

"All clear. Let's go," she nodded in response as we walked to the bathroom.

* * *

As soon as we entered the bathroom, a sudden energy seem to fill us. Sarah quickly scrambled over to the ladder and began climbing up, I was close behind. During our assent, I saw dried blood on her ankle with the smallest nub of white sticking out. When I reached the top, she stood looking at me. "You lied," I stated immediately.

"What?" she questioned confusedly, twisting her hands around and shaking once again.

"If you were that injured, you should have told me. You aren't allowed to walk on that any longer," I ordered. I cut off her attempt to protest. "You heard me. I'll carry you," I offered, turning to allow her on my back.

"Rhed! You're bleeding!" she exclaimed as she placed her hands on my back. I turned in a meaningless attempt to see my wounds. "And your head too!" she said as she took my head in her hands.

"I'm fine. Really,"

"No," she retorted, walking out of the cramped stall.

"But your ankle! If you start falling behind," I tried, this time she cut me off.

"Then, and only then, will I let you carry me," she replied sharply. I let out a sigh as she began shuffling to the bathroom exit. "Coming?" I let out another heavy sigh as I hurriedly caught up with her.

"How could I forget, you're a warrior, not a damsel in distress," I commented as we walked.

"Damn right," she replied. I smiled to myself. Somehow, even in a dark, horrifying school like this, I felt like maybe, just maybe, things wouldn't be so bad.

_True End_

_CHAPTER 6 CLEARED!_


	21. Chapter 7

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 7**

_Rozerin_

His footsteps were finally fading. I reached down at my side and peeled my sticky shirt off the floor. My hands were still trembling, even as I pushed myself on the floor. I did my best to hold my screams in, lest he hear and come back. As I went to walk, throbbing pains shot through me, leading to me doubling over in pain. Holding my side did little to help, but it was definitely better than nothing. I limped out of the desolate room and allowed myself one glance at the bookshelf. It no longer moved, the fingers sticking out from under the sides were still and turning greyer by the minute. I stifled my sobs while I hobbled down the hall, occasionally bumping against the wall. The further I got from that place, the better.

* * *

After what felt like agonizing hours but what I'm sure amounted to maybe 55 minutes, I slouched against the wall to rest. My stab wounds were throbbing as if they were growing back together. My shirt was continually sticking to my skin, catching in my wounds. The once crisp white t-shirt has been half-dyed rusty brown, with a few dabs of red thrown in. The memory kept replaying in my head. When he walked over to my friend and then the screams sounded. The pleas for help, desperate, his voice cracking in terror. The sound of a loud thud as the bookshelf landed on his body, crushing his organs, his bones. How he struggled for life under it while the other man pushed down on it harder and harder. How I didn't do a thing. I didn't save him. I abandoned him. Then that person, the one I called my friend, the one who has just crushed our friend to death. He walked toward me slowly. The knife digging into my kidney as I screamed in pain. He never stopped laughing, not even for a second. How he twisted the blade around, his eyes gleaming, before pulling it out and pushing it into my intestines. When I dropped to the ground and he laughed mercilessly one last time as he walked away. These images played on a constant loop, engraved into my skull. Now I was going to bleed out slowly and painfully, only to be forgotten forever. How fair. _Maybe after I go, I can see him again. _Just as I was about to give up and let myself die against a crumbling wall, the sound of voices rang out.

"Oh my god! You're okay!" one said

"My love!" the other answered. _They could help me! Bring me to the infirmary!_ I forced myself onto my shaking legs as I limped down the hallway towards salvation.

* * *

\- - - - - Crawling. I was on my hands and knees, scraping against splintered floorboards, crawling. The immense burning that tore through my side was probably a sign that

I would die soon. Before I was even halfway across the expansive hallway, a blue and yet clear figure entered my line of sight. The spirit began laughing at my pitiful condition. While he was distracted, an idea dawned on me._ If I did something…right now…while it isn't paying attention…maybe I can survive this. But what…_

**Call out to survivors**

**Run past the spirit**


	22. Chapter 7, End 1

_**QUICK AUTHORS NOTE: this chapter contains highly disturbing and detailed gore. read at own risk.**_

* * *

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 7, END 1**

_Rozerin_

**Run past the spirit**

With all of the energy I could muster, I pushed myself onto my feet and began sprinting. Unfortunately, my body had other plans. Not even two steps down the hall I collapsed back onto the ground.

"Did you hear that?" one voice asked.

"It's okay, dear. I can go check," the second answered. They sounded so familiar.

"NO! I mean… I don't want to separate from you ever again. We'll go together."

"Ughhh!" I groaned as blood drizzled down my chin. Crying out in pain was my only way of communication at this point. Just as I heard the footsteps getting closer, something cold wrapped around my ankle. As I tried to turn to see whom, or what, it was, I began being pulled forcefully down the hall. The wood boards scraped at my soft flesh as I was helpless to do anything.

* * *

Finally, it threw me against what I assumed was a wall. I glanced up to see the same cyan figure from before. Though it was mostly transparent, I could see a dark, twisted smile on it's face. I felt fresh, warm bloody sliding down my skull onto my face. Just breathing hurt. I presumed at least one of my ribs were cracked, a few definitely bruised.

My eyes connected with the spirit's own. In them I saw - no – I _felt _pain, agony, hatred. Before I could even blink, the being's hands were already around my throat, slamming my head back against the wall. One hand remained around my neck, the other reached down to my cheek and immediately began tearing. If you've ever peeled a banana, you'd know the sensation that my body was enduring. "AHHHHH!" The ghost only smiled wider. Carelessly, it tossed my flesh aside. The worst part was how I couldn't push it away. I could barely scream. It's hands continued their way down my body, ripping away at me while I laid motionless. Eventually, the burning left as I slipped into bliss.

* * *

The bliss was a lie. My ghostly body looked like I had tried to shave with a butcher knife. I watched as the ghost continued shredding away. It didn't seem to notice that  
I had died already, or maybe it didn't quite honestly care. After what felt like an eternity of viewing the same boring commercial over and over again, the ghost began dragging off my remains. Obviously I had to follow, for curiosities sake if for nothing else.

We came to the same hallway I had first seen the spirit. Clare and Flynn looked around, inspecting the blood stain I had left.

"Do you think…we knew-"

"No. I'm sure everyone is fine Flynn," Clare answered gently, rubbing their boyfriend's arm softly.

"I just…I have the sinking feeling that something is very wrong…" he replied anxiously.

"Hey," she answered, placing a hand on his face. "We're okay. I won't let anything happen to you." Clare began to lean in closer.

"C-Clare…"

"Stop being so tsundere," she laughed, continuing forward.

"No! There's s-something on your face," he quickly shot back.

"What?" She reached up, touching her cheek. Her hand came away with a smear of red. Another drop dripped onto her head. "What the hell?" Both her and Flynn looked up to see a pile of what could only be described as shredded meat falling.

"Hhhh…h…h…" Flynn shook, trying to get the chunky liquid out of his eyes.

"AHHHHH! Hhh…hhhh…AAHHHHH!" Clare started clawing at her body, desperately trying to clean off the remains. To top the whole ordeal off, the spirit dropped a human head to land between them. I didn't need to even look to know who it was. Spoiler alert, it was mine.

"R-r-rr-" Flynn attempted.

"AHHHHHH!" Clare fell to the ground, screaming uncontrollably, beginning to tear at her own skin.

"Clare stop!" the man pleaded, attempting to pry his girlfriend's hands off herself.

"NO! NOOOO! NO!" she refused, pushing him away and getting to her feet. The girl I used to know ran down the hallway in terror, wailing and peeling. Flynn chased after helplessly, begging for her to wait. I waved goodbye to them both. _At least…in some fucked up way…I'm still with them. _I smiled to myself as I absentmindedly rubbed the torn flesh on my arm.

_W_ r On G e _N _d


	23. Chapter 7, End 2

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 7, END 2**

_Rozerin_

**Call out to survivors**

They were so close. I could feel the vibrations from the floor that their feet made. _I won't give up just yet._

"H-," my voice was nothing but breath. It was hopeless. _No…no! I will not let myself die like this. _I propped myself up on my elbows. _Not… like… this! _ "Hhh-heLP! Please, help!" my body shuddered at every scream but I refused to stop. "Help me! ANYONE! PLEASE! HEL-," I breathed raggedly. There was no more energy left in me. I couldn't even move. A blurry image of a woman came into view just before I collapsed, my head hitting the floorboards.

* * *

"Hand me that water,"

"Here."

"Any bandages left? And painkillers?"

"Some painkillers. Maybe a roll…yes! It's the last one."

Slowly, light seeped in, and the voices became people. The spirit was nowhere to be seen.

"Rozerin, how do you feel?" the woman asked gently as she sponged some of the drying blood off of my temple. I blinked a few times, the girl in front of me now becoming more clear.

"Clare?" I practically whimpered, my eyes filled with tears as I wiped them in disbelief. She smiled wide, tears already escaping her.

"Roz," she cooed, embracing me gently. I allowed my head to rest against her shoulder. _I almost forgot how exhausted I was. _Clare sniffled and carefully pulled away. "Let's finish patching you up," she continued. "Flynn, love, the bag please?" she questioned, turning to look up at a standing figure I hadn't even noticed before.

"Right! Sorry," he fumbled with the strap of the bag as he crouched down next to Clare.

"Thanks," she replied, turning back to me with a fistful of bandages. "Alrighty, I know this is a little awkward but could you lift your shirt? I need to clean and bandage your wounds before they get infected,"

"Y-yes," I stuttered, my stomach suddenly turning ice cold. I had almost forgotten about the wounds. A sudden anxiety had a taken a hold on me as I began lifting the crispy cotton material. My breathing sped up as I tried to figure out where this feeling had come from.

"Rozerin, are you okay?" Flynn inquired, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You're shaking," he continued. As I looked into his eyes, my head began stinging. Something about those blue eyes was making my head tear apart.

"Roz?" Clare pleaded with worry.

"I-," then I hit me. The screams filled my ears. My cuts began burning in pain. My heart felt ready to tear out of my body. "No!" I shouted.

"Rozerin?" Flynn asked

"No! NO! NO NO NO!"

"ROZ!?" Clare demanded.

"NO! NO! N-NO!" I pushed Flynn's hand off my shoulder and shot up.

"You're too unsta-uhf!" I body checked Clare down as a new, desperate energy filled me.

"What the hell!" Flynn exclaimed. I began running.

"Rozerin!" Clare managed through groans.

* * *

I don't know where the strength came from, but my legs carried me down the hallway, further and further and –

The ground was gone. There was floor, then simply nothing. The pain was instantaneous yet not even existent. It was all too quick to begin to comprehend. I definitely felt my spine snap in half, and my neck was now at an angle that shouldn't even be possible for a human. I could see a greyish-pink type matter the texture of chewed gum seeping out of my now open skull. My eyes were still open and full of fear, bloodshot to hell. Blood, my own I presumed, leaked in between cracks in the boards. The skin on my body had turned red and looked warm. I sat, crisscross by my own corpse, examining it for quite a while.

* * *

After some time, I hear familiar voices up above.

"This way Mei!"

"Coming Gareth! I have short legs,"_ Mei. Gareth. _My heart throbbed. Well it would've if it was obliterated to mush, that is. _Stay safe… I hope that they make it. That everyo-_

"OH MY GOD! Rozerin!" Clare dropped to her knees by my body. "No…No!" she broke into hysterics, grasping my hand tightly, as if doing so would save me. After what felt like an eternity, she collected herself. "Flynn!" she called out, standing up. "Where are you? I'm not mad Flynn! Please come back!" her voice was a mix of pain and fear. Just as she went to leave, Ryou appeared, a smile painted onto his face. Clare backed up, trying to escape. She tripped over my body, falling hard in between it and my spirit. "Oh God… oh God… Flynn!" she cried out in terror. I couldn't touch her, couldn't help her…_no. I won't be idle and let another one of my friends die! _With all of the spiritual energy a brand new ghost could muster, I pushed the tongue bag that had fallen out of my open backpack toward her hand. Her fingers brushed it and without even glancing she threw it toward Ryou. The child caught the bag, his eyes filled with hope and forgiveness. He smiled yet again, but this time it was one of appreciation. As he disappeared, Clare bursted into another fit of sobs. I stayed by her side as she called for Flynn again and again. When she finally got up, I lingered behind her, brushing against her. She shuddered then smiled. "…Roz?" Clare sniffled, wiping her eyes. "Thank you," she finished, walking down the hallway to her fate, I could only watch. _No Clare… thank you… for being my friend. _If ghosts could cry, I would be covered in tears. _Please…don't ever forget me. _

_True End_

CHAPTER 7 CLEARED!


	24. Chapter 8

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 8**

_Denis_

As far as being trapped in a ghost filled elementary school the equivalent to Hell goes, I wasn't having too awful of a time. I may be stuck here, but I'm with Flynn and Rozerin, and we're already a third of the way to finding all of the appeasement items. Nobody has been injured..._except me…_ I rubbed at the bruises I already felt forming on my back.

"Are you okay Denis?" Rozerin asked, stopping in front of me.

"Y-yeah!" I answered, removing my hand from my shoulder. "Just…worried about the others."

"Oh I think we _all_ know who you're worried about," Rozerin quipped with a mischievous laugh.

"Sh-shut up!" I retorted, turning away to hide my blood red face. Rozerin let out another laugh as we continued down the hall. While we walked, I realized Flynn was smiling. And not a cute smile reserved for your significant other, or the smile of someone full of hope. The kind of smile that a murderer wears as he stabs his friends. As shiver shot up my spine. His eyes met mine and I quickly turned back forward and sped up a tad. _Why do I feel so…scared?_

* * *

We wandered the halls, waiting for the stupid doll to speak, to say something, anything. The more we walked, the more anxiety and frustration built up inside me. Just as I felt I was going to explode, a sound similar to the hiss of leaking gas rang out. I stopped dead in my tracks, turning to face Rozerin. Her eyes were full of a hopeful light that contrasted greatly with her fear-paled skin. She quickly pulled the doll out of her bag.

"Ahh!" Suddenly, without warning, Rozerin threw the doll.

"What the hell?" Flynn protested, rushing off to snatch the tossed toy.

"Roz?" I practically whispered, bending down to be eye-to-eye with her. She trembled, her eyes full of tears. I brought my other hand to her shoulder, attempting to steady her.

"We're all going to die here," she mumbled, her eyes empty and still.

"What?" Rozerin suddenly began to tremble even more. _Wait…why am I shaking? _It then hit me that the entire hallway was rumbling, the walls shaking so fiercely that paint was chipping off. I pulled Roz into my arms, my hands clutching onto her. _We can't get separated…_ "Flynn!" I yelled out desperately. The hall shook faster, bringing me to my knees, Rozerin with me. I kept my head down and tried my best to shield her. _Flynn…_

* * *

If the pain before was bad, this was unbearable. My muscles screamed as I stood up. Rozerin wouldn't stand, leaving me to pull her up. I looked at her eyes, searching for some sign that she was okay.

"Hello." We collectively jumped and turned to search for the voice's owner.

"Flynn?" Rozerin asked, speaking for the first time since her panicked state had set in. _Something is wrong…_

"Yes?" he answered, walking slowly out from the shadows. He appeared just as normal, save for a small cut on his head, a few scratches here and there.

"Are you feeling alright?" I questioned, the pit of anxiety returning to my stomach.

"Of course," he replied, a smiled creeping onto his face. "Why wouldn't I?" It was then that I noticed the ever so slight gleam of a small object in his hand. I felt my chest tighten, breathing suddenly becoming a difficult task. He took a single step forward.

"Flynn?" Rozerin whimpered uneasily. Another step.

"Flynn," I warned softly, reaching out a hand toward him. Another. Step. Step. Step. I pushed Rozerin back, stepping in front of her as a shield. Step. Step. Step step step step. He raised his arm in the air. _Is this it?_ I flinched as he dropped it onto my shoulder. His other hand, empty, on my other. He smiled up at me, hugging me gently. For some reason, this made me more uneasy that before. "You good budd-," I was cut off by a gasp of air. Cold steel burned across my back. Without thinking, I pushed Flynn away with all the force I could muster. He hit the ground hard, crumpling and staying still. "Oh my god! Flynn!" I ran toward him, realizing what I just did. Just then he sprung up, lurching at me. Just in time I jumped back, quickly shoving him away again. As he struggled to regain his balance, I turned and grabbed Rozerin's wrist, running down the hall away from Flynn.

* * *

We reached a room far from him, quickly scrambling in. I'm tall and Flynn is in no way extremely strong, but that didn't matter when a knife was added into the equation. I led Rozerin into a chair, then hurriedly ran to lock the door. The lock simply spun around. _Dammit! _My feet brought me to a bookshelf as I tried to figure what to do with it. _A blockade…that just might work. _I began shoving it as fast as possible toward the door frame. It fit under it easily, the hardest part would be turning it. _Do I even have the time? What should I do!?_

**-Keep turning the bookcase**

** -Check on Rozerin**

** -Confront Flynn head on**


	25. Chapter 8, End 1

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 8, END 1**

_Denis_

**-Check on Rozerin**

_This is pointless. I should make sure Rozerin is okay... _I walked back into the classroom to find and empty chair.

"Denis," a voice whispered. It seemed to be coming from behind a stack of chairs. I walked over to inspect and found myself face to face with Rozerin.

"What are you doing over here?" I asked as I reached to help her out. She quickly swatted my hand away.

"I'm hiding," she shifted nervously, "Just in case Flynn comes back."

"I'll protect you."

"You can't protect everyone Denis. You should think about yourself for once."

"I won't leave you. I'll always put my friend's first," I practically shouted.

"You're already injured! He has a knife, and last I checked you aren't stab-proof."

"I-"

"You can't protect me! You can't protect Kay! You can't protect yourself!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. I balled my hands into fists. I felt tears well in my eyes.

"I'm done being a coward! I will fight to keep everyone safe! I'm not a protagonist like Satoshi, or the strong protector like Yoshiki or smart like Morishige!" The water spilled over as my voice cracked, "I'm Denis. And you're wrong! I can save myself. I can save you. And I can sure as hell save her! You don't know anything!" My chest shook as I panted. I wiped my face, continuing to catch my breath.

"I-I'm sorry. I went too far. And after all you've do-"

"It's fine," I sighed, crossing over to sit on a chair near her. For a moment we sat in silence.

* * *

"What's it like?"

"What's 'what' like?"

"Being in love."

"I-I'm not," I stuttered, turning to hide my face.

"Okay. Maybe not love, not yet. But you care for her?" Rozerin questioned gently.

"…I," I breathed deeply, "I do. I want her to be safe, always." I fiddled with my scrap. "I don't think she feels like that for me…"

"I'm sure she cares about you," she assured.

"…Really?" She nodded with a small smile in response. The silence returned, but this time it was a soft, comforting one.

* * *

I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep until my eyelids fluttered open. The first thing I noticed was that Rozerin was gone. I immediately jumped to my feet and began yelling for her. As I entered the hallway, I noticed something was off. The walls were pristine, the floors perfect in every way. No blood, no grime, no corpses. I continued to call out for Rozerin, more terrified now than ever, when a hand slipped into mine. I turned to see not Roz, but Clare.

"Clare?" I asked as she squeezed my hand harder.

"Satoshi!" another voice squealed. Aki had thrown her arms around me.

"Uh…"

"Sato-kunnn!" Sarah sang as she ran over and clung to my arm.

"This can't be real…I need to wake up…" I said, trying to shake off my suddenly changed friends.

"Satoshi," a familiar voice spoke. _No… _I craned my neck to see Kay, dressed in a Kisaragi uniform and her hair in pigtails.

"Kay?" I stammered. She walked up to me, placing her hand on my cheek. "What are you doing...?"

She leaned closer, and whispered into my ear, "It's all your fault."

"H-huh?" I demanded. She pulled away gently and stared at me as her face began melting off. "Kay!" I screamed, trying to fight through the girls around me. They all tightened their grips.

"You've killed us all," Sarah whispered as blood leaked from her nose, mouth, and eyes. I tried to pull away desperately.

"We're all going to die here because of you," Aki hissed, now suddenly skeletally thin. My throat tightened.

"Look what you've done," Clare groaned as she began to rot. I couldn't take it any longer.

"Stop! Get off of me! You're lying! You're all lying! STOP!" I tried to claw at them, and gradually they backed off. I fell to my knees panting, screaming. Kay fell at my feet, lifeless, a husk. "AHHHHHH! NO! NOOOOO! YOU'RE LYING!" I clutched my head in terror, shutting my eyes, screeching endlessly.

* * *

"DENIS!" My eyes shot open. I couldn't breathe. Through black spots in my vision I saw Rozerin sobbing, trying to grab my legs. My feet dangled off the ground, and I could vaguely see stall-like-walls around me. The pressure on my neck became tighter and tighter, as I tried to summon even the smallest energy to claw at my throat. The light gradually faded as darkness became persistent. My eyes closed again. This time, for real.

* * *

I lingered by the open stall as Rozerin futilely tried to get my body down. She cried and yelled. I'm still not sure what happened, but by the looks of it I hung myself. A real pity. The worst part of the whole experience was the constant pressure on my windpipe. It had definitely been hours and yet it still remained. I watched my body dangle a tad longer, then left to search the school. The last thing I heard was Roz's screaming as something or other diced her up. It wasn't really my business. All I could do now was watch. They had been right. _It's all my fault. Everyone is going to die._

_W_ r On G e _N _d


	26. Chapter 8, End 2

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 8, END 2**

_Denis_

**-Confront Flynn head on**

_I can't do this. I'm too weak. But… _I removed my palms from the bookshelf and quickly ran back into the classroom. On the way in I had spotted a cabinet full of supplies. _Maybe…just maybe… _I threw the doors open, searching for something, anything. My fingers curled around cold steel. I already knew what it was before I had even pulled them out. Moonlight from outside reflected off of the blades and the image I saw in the glint barely looked like me. Disheveled hair, dark circles, you could tell I hadn't eaten in hours. But the really scary part, the part that looked least like me, were my eyes. Cold, empty, dead. I gripped the scissors harder, the sharp edges digging more into my skin. As I slid them into my pocket, a freezing shiver shot through me. _I…I have to do this. _I began walking.

"Denis? Where are you going?" Rozerin pleaded. "Don't leave me!" Her cries for help became fainter with every hallway I turned. Soon, the only sound was the quiet hum of my heart pounding.

* * *

Every step I took felt like I grew closer to death. My hands shook at my sides. Periodically I tapped my thigh to assure the scissors were there. I had gone downstairs, and back up to the second floor again, finding nothing. Everything was so eerily still it felt like a painting. _Where is he?_ My bones ached. Every bruise on my skin seemed to throb. The incision on my back no longer burned but now seemed to itch. My stomach growled the longer I walked, my feet begged me to sit. Still I ignored it all. I had a mission. If I wanted to keep everyone safe, I had to do this. _I have to. For me. For…_ I swallowed hard and began walking faster. I would find him. _I will._

* * *

I turned the knob. The door swung open slowly, the hinges squealing in seeming protest. This room was darker than most of the others, but there was just enough light for me to make out the floorboards and walls. As I searched the room, I saw a shadow move ever so lightly across the minimal light coming in from the open door. I hurriedly turned around catching him in my line of vision. His choppy brown hair was unmistakable.

"We don't have to do this," my voice cracked gently, "We can go back. Together. See Rozerin. Find the others. Find Clare." He shifted back and forth, his eyes studying me. "Please," I continued, feeling my very being waver. "Don't do this."

"He he he…hahaha! AhhahahaahHA! HAHAHA!" his entire body shook with laughs that ripped through the air. I slid my hand into my pocket.

All at once, he rushed at me. My hands caught his wrists, keeping him away from me. He was like an animal, pushing toward me with almost inhuman strength. But I had the height advantage. He continued to lurch forward, unaware that I had gotten into the perfect position to take him down. With one hard kick to his ankles, he collapsed, allowing me pin his body down. I breathed hard, trying to calm my fried nerves.

"I…win…," I managed between huffs.

"Dumb ass. You will never win. You are weak, useless. You won't protect anyone."

"Stop talking."

"You can't save her. Kay's already dead," he hissed through a smile.

"You're lying because you're afraid," I retorted, pushing my arm a tad harder down.

"Think what you want. But it's the truth. I stabbed her nice and slowly. She screamed for a long time, sobbed too."

"Stop it!"

"And not just her. Aki too. Sarah. Max. Avery, Leah, Allys. Their blood is staining the walls as we speak."

"YOU'RE LYING!"

"Calm down. You'll join them soon enough."

"She'll never forgive you for this," I finally spat.

"…What?" he said, his voice wavered for a fraction of a second.

"Never. She'll hate you. She'll be scared."

"LIAR!" he screeched, sinking the knife into my bicep.

"AHHHH!" I clutched it in pain while he quickly wriggled out from beneath me. He began trying to escape. Quickly, I threw my body at his, knocking him to the ground. The blade went flying into the hallway.

"No!" he protested, attempting to regain his only defense. It was too late, I already had control. I pulled his leg, dragging him closer to me as he squirmed in terror. My hand laced into his hair, gripping it tightly. "NO! Get off!" he shouted continually, "She is dead! Demolished! Mutilated! Eviscerated!"

"STOP LYING!" I screamed, slamming his head down onto the floor. A loud, sickening crunch sounded just then. His head became limp in my hand. "Flynn?" I asked, tears filling my eyes. "No…No…" I turned his body over, holding it gently in my arms. His eyes were wide open in complete horror, his neck at an angle one's should never be. "No! N-NO! NO NO NO NO!" I shook him, trying to get him to speak, to move, to blink. "Noo. N-n-no…wahh! Wauh ahh ah! No! I'm sorry! I'm sorry Flynn! Flynn!" I couldn't breathe. The world had ceased to move at all. The sound of bloodcurdling screams filled the halls suddenly. After several hours I discovered I was the source of them. And yet I didn't stop. I wailed, holding his body as it grew colder and greyer, never moving.

* * *

The worst part was how in the moment, it felt so good. It felt so damn good, his neck snapping in my fingers. _So good. _

"Denis?" a small, familiar voice asked. I looked up to see Rozerin practically cowering in fear.

"You're just in time," I found myself saying, "I was just starting to grow bored."

_W_ r On G e _N _d


	27. Chapter 8, End 3

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 8, END 3**

_Denis_

**-Keep turning the bookcase**

There was nothing else to do but keep turning it. It was the only way to assure Rozerin and I would be safe. I gripped the edges of the case a tad more, pulling it again across the floor. Unfortunately, I had used all of my luck escaping Flynn. The mainly empty case became stuck on a bent floorboard, disrupting its path of movement. I gave it a tug and was met with absolutely no change. Another yank. And another. Still the shelf wouldn't budge. _Dammit! No! _I heard footsteps in the distance. _Crap…_ They became louder, signaling that they were growing closer. _I can't let anything happen to Roz! _I grabbed the case head on and gave one final pull. The soft scrape of the shelf sliding free brought only momentary relief. All at once, it continued to fall. Its edges dug into my palms, threatening to break the skin at any time. I felt the extra pressure shooting through my arms and into my back. My spine felt like it was tearing apart. _Why is this so heavy?_ I tried to push it back, only leading to more strain on my muscles. _Dammit…dammit…_ I pushed even harder to no avail. Tears broke over my eyelids as the pain amplified.

In all of this frustration I remembered the footsteps. They had reached a volume so near it could only be down the hall at furthest. I didn't even have to turn my head to identify who it was.

"F-," I huffed hard, locking my elbows, "Flynn…please." The rack tilted closer to me as I faltered, allowing a book to slide off and hit my chest. I felt him shift from one foot to another. The agony shot up a level. "Flynn…don't…do this…please," my voice cracked as a sob slipped through. He took a step closer. "I don't…want to d-...die here." Yet another book fell, this time hitting my knee. I felt my entire body tremble in both fear and discomfort. "I want…to save the…others…to leave this place…with you," I managed. The shelf continued to weigh down on me. Flynn strode closer again. My arms began bending under the pressure as a particularly thick novel bumped my head. I felt my body giving in. "FLYNN-!" A hand grasped the case just then, momentarily relieving me. I could breathe again. But just for a second. Flynn smiled suddenly as he pushed the case back down harder onto my arms. I heard a sickening crunch as my fingers began bending backward. "AHHH!" I felt a scream rip through my throat.

"Denis?" I heard Rozerin call in panic.

"Roz…Run!" I returned through gasps. He continued to shove the case down, with strength I had never felt, causing me to bend further. Then, the ground beneath me disappeared. Flynn had kicked his foot into the back of my knees. The shelf fell on top of me, smashing against my windpipe. A strangled sound escaped me as the force of the edge dug into my throat. My head was trapped between two shelves, my arms undeniably broken. I felt a wetness seeping from my head. I began kicking the shelf with any energy I still had, attempting to shift it in any way. It seemed to move a tad, filling me with newfound hope and adrenaline. That was short lived. Flynn's muffled laugh hit my ears just before he stopped his foot down onto the case, pushing it further into my neck. The wood pierced my flesh, digging between my bones. Black dots danced in my eyes and I tried in vain to even gasp for air. The world around me became darker, the air heavier. Flynn stomped yet again on the case, but this time I barely even felt it. Distantly a voice screamed my name. My throat burned. Breathing was no longer a concept. I shut my eyes. Darkness.

* * *

When I finally came around, I felt no pain. For some reason, I wasn't under the shelf anymore. It only took me a minute to realize why. I had died. Flynn smiled, stepping over the bookshelf and into the room, stopping only to dip his hand in the blood seeping from under the case and wipe in onto his face. I heard him inhale deeply as he did so. _But where is he going? _

"Flynn?"

_Wait…Roz!_

"S-stay back! GET BACK!" I heard a chair hit the ground as if it was thrown. "I mean it Flynn! Fl-FLYNN!" Another chair. "No! No! DENIS! DENIS!" she cried in desperation, already knowing fully well I was scraps by now. "WHY!?"

"Because I can," Flynn answered, voice devoid of any emotion.

"AHHHHHHH! AHHH! FL-AHHHHHH!" She dropped to floor, blood soaking through her shirt. Flynn bent down, wiped the knife on Rozerin's pants and re-pocketed it. I could only watch as he kicked her ribs, then left, making sure to stop by my corpse to stomp on the case for the final time. And with that, he was gone. Rozerin was gasping loudly as she clutched her side, blood already pooling through her fingers. I wanted to help. But I couldn't. I knew that. _So why do I feel so guilty?_ _Did I push Flynn to this? Is this all my fault? I…. No. I can still fix this. _

"Kay? Laura? Katie?" Clare's voice trembled as she walked the halls. Her hair had blood in it. "Where did you guys go? Kay!?" She leaned against the walls and began crying. That was when I arrived.

"Clare! Follow me! Rozerin needs you!" She didn't even look up. "Clare?" I tried again. Still no answer. So I tried a different approach.

"What the…?" Clare asked as she stepped toward the book that had fallen from seemingly nowhere. Just as she got close enough, it moved 2 feet down the hall. She went toward it again. I pushed it further. Repeat, repeat, you get the idea. Before she realized it, she had traveled down several hallways. That was when all hell broke loose.

"Clare!" the figure shouted, sprinting toward us.

"Flynn!?" she reciprocated, reaching out to him. "Oh my god! You're okay!" she sobbed gently, taking Flynn into her embrace.

"My love!" he gushed, placing a hand into her hair and pulling her head onto his shoulder, tears escaping him. _What? Who…who is this? What happened to the psycho who murdered me, who stabbed Roz? _His smile was one of genuine love now, rather than malice like before.

Just then I heard movement in the adjacent hall. _Rozerin!_ She was crawling, in worse shape than ever. She winced, then cried out:

"Hhh-heLP! Please, help!" Flynn and Clare broke apart, exchanged a look, then ran to investigate. _Thank god… _I felt a smile on my face. _I did it. I helped…I was truly…useful…after all. _

_True End_

CHAPTER 8 CLEARED!


	28. Chapter 9

_**Corpse Party: Midnight Crow**_

**CHAPTER 9**

_Gareth_

When I stirred awake, I was saturated in water. I blinked myself conscious, rubbing my eyes. Only then did I feel a rupture of pain in my back. My eye refocused, revealing me to be in an empty classroom. Instantly, panic filled my stomach. I began assessing my surroundings. Walls, desks, wooden floors…all old, rotted, abandoned. I was indefinitely in the ruins that were Heavenly Host. Shakily I clambered to my feet, once again gingerly touching my wet back. The realization dawned on me that the liquid drenching my shirt was not water, but blood. Panic filled me and I whipped around, attempting to locate a cause. The floorboards were jagged, and small bits of cloth were attached to the edges, along with fresh and bright red stains. My back hissed in pain. Before I could panic over my situation, injured and alone in hell, I heard faint groaning. A blonde woman of average height stood quickly, gripping a nearby desk for support. Her eyes were filled to the brim with panic.

"Mina?" I asked hesitantly.

"Gareth...?" she returned hazily, her tone instantly calmer. "Where are we?"

"I think you probably know,"

"I…yes…are we…going to die?"

"Of course not!" I answered quickly, just then realizing how terrified I was. I couldn't promise anything. For all I knew, we could die in the next five minutes. Yet my words seemed to reassure her even further so I bit my tongue.

* * *

After debating back and forth, we agreed that going to the infirmary was our best option. We walked at a sluggish pace, my back shooting up in flames with every couple of steps. I attempted to remain positive but Mina didn't even seem to consider conversation at present, leaving me feeling more alone than ever. In the back of my mind, past the pain and anxiety, I thought of Kyndall. _She must be so scared…_ I could only hope she was safe and protected. _Kyn…_

_CRACK._ The ground caved under my feet. For a moment, I was overcome with weightlessness. A small hand pulled me back, I could stand. It all happened so fast I could barely register what had even occurred.

"Maybe instead of worrying over other people you should focus on your own two feet," Mina snipped, her face betrayed her false anger by showing concern.

"Sorry…I just…God she means so much to me…" I mumbled as I attempted to regain my composure.

"Yeah. I get it," she responded, helping me to my feet. Her tone had become softer. I nodded, a smile creeping onto my face.

"Let's go find them," I smirked. Mina nodded, a gentle grin had grown on her face.

"Yeah!"

* * *

We found the cat. It was battered and musty and only had one eye, but there it was. The key to escaping this place, so long as the others have found the tongue bags.

"Alright, with this we're ready. Let's go find everyon-." The floor immediately began to tremor. Mina fell into me, sending us both to the ground. Pain erupted in my side as I collided with the ground. Dust and debris began raining down on us. Though I was smaller than her, I did my best to cover Mina. Shards of the ceiling pounded my back, reopening my earlier wounds, and tearing the bandages. Yet, I pushed through. Nothing was going to stop me from leaving this hell. Nothing would keep me from her.

* * *

I stood shakily to my feet, pulling up Mina with me. She coughed through some dust, but other than that appeared untouched. We exchanged glances, nodding to signal that we were okay. The area around us had changed. The walls were even more dilapidated, the ground punctured with holes. But that wasn't the worst of it. The worst part was the blood. Lying just three feet away from us was a mutilated corpse. Next to it was a splintered bookshelf, thoroughly drenched in gore. I was drawn toward it, for some odd reason. I felt almost as if I knew the pulp.

Carefully, I approached the body.

"Gareth…" Mina questioned, following me hesitantly. Just as we neared the body, Mina let out a blood curdling scream. I quickly whipped around to see a wall smattered in dried blood. It read, 'those who cannot let go of the dead shall join them', the writing smeared messily. I took a few steps closer to investigate.

_Drip. Drip. _Cold, syrupy crimson hit my forehead, rolling down my face, just between my eyes. I glanced up slowly. Hanging just above me was another corpse. The stomach completely torn out, organs and gore hanging loosely. I fell to my knees, vomiting up what little I had in me. A dull thud behind me. Mina had fainted.

I quickly coughed through my bile and turned to check on her. Her skin a waxy color, she was pale to the touch. I lifted her head into my lap, panic filling me. The stench of decay swirled around me, the hallway echoed with emptiness. My breathing accelerated as I tried to grasp my situation. Mina was unconscious. Death and rot surrounded me. Kyndall could be dead. Aki. Clare. Allys. Jake. All of them. The bodies around me are most likely theirs after all. Tears fell down my cheeks, saturating my pants. Broken, empty sobs escaped me. I was alone. Truly, hauntingly, alone.

* * *

When Mina came to, I was already inspecting body number one. The neck, arms, and fingers were grotesquely maimed, the blood already drying and the skin cold. After denying it over and over, I had accepted that it was Denis. Body number 2 was too far above me to be properly inspected, but by frame alone it had to have been a female. The height and hair color bared similarity to Kyndall, but the skin was too tan. At least, that was what I had to tell myself at present.

"Gareth?" Mina finally spoke, sitting up slowly.

"It's Denis. And the one above me… Could be someone we know…could not. I can't see her face well enough," I responded blankly.

"Gareth, I-,"

"NO! NO! NO NO NO!" a vaguely familiar voice rang out.

"ROZ!?" a different person called. It was distant but…_Clare?_ The shouting continued in the distance and Mina and I took off full sprint in their direction.

* * *

"This way Mina!"

"Coming Gareth! I have short legs," she huffed, attempting to catch up to me.

Suddenly, I collided head on with a figure about my size. My head rang as it thumped against the wooden floor. I looked up to see Flynn already scrambling to his feet.

"Flynn?!" I called, attempting to gauge his facial expressions. He screamed painfully, decking me and then Mina. I groaned, rubbing my head as I stood back up. He was already halfway down the hall, still shrieking as he went. "Flynn, wait!" I cried, hurriedly weighing my options.

• **Try to find Clare**

•** Chase after him**


End file.
